According to documents obtained through a public records request, the podcast producer didn’t have to submit a competitive bid. The purchase came from city dollars, not Whitmire’s campaign coffers.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s office paid up to $60,000 for his new podcast, “901 Bagby: Inside The Mayor’s Office,” according to records obtained by Houston Public Media.
In a purchase order, the work provided by podcast host Owen Conflenti — owner of Conflenti Media and former KPRC 2 news anchor — was described as “advertising services.”
The podcast is intended to foster “public engagement,” Whitmire told Houston Public Media on Friday…