HOUSTON, TX November 4, 2025 – When William “Chilly Bill” Smith walked to the podium at the Texas Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the room fell quiet, not the kind of silence that asks for attention, but the kind that gives it. He stood there, composed yet emotional, the weight of decades behind that famous smile. And before he even spoke, everyone could feel it: this was a moment earned.
If you have ever caught Chilly on air you know that he closes out by extending peace and blessings to you and the family. As Chilly wrapped up his acceptance speech there in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame Museum, his words hung in the air half gratitude, half affirmation. Not boastful but blessed. “Without a shadow of a doubt,” he said, voice steady but full of feeling, “ain’t nobody bad like you.” Then, with a small laugh, he added, “I’m holding on to my smile, because I’m just so happy to be here.” The crowd cheered. Not out of formality, but because they felt him. Houston felt him. Texas felt him.
Long before that accolades, the awards and the titles, there was a young man at Jack Yates Senior High School discovering what a microphone could do. A young man who realized that when he talked into that mic, the world listened differently. At Texas Southern University, that spark became a fire. Inside KTSU’s studios, surrounded by music, mentorship, and the heartbeat of the community, “Chilly Bill” was born. The voice was smooth. The timing perfect. The tone unmistakably his.
He once said, “Radio chose me.” And in truth, it did. But what he chose, every single day since, was people. He never just hosted a show, he built relationships. His listeners didn’t just tune in; they checked in. They knew his energy, his humor, his compassion. They trusted him…