KHTS, Santa Clarita’s Hometownstation, plans to launch a new show this Friday, “My Radio Show with Rick Garcia,” which is scheduled to air Fridays from 1 – 3 p.m.

The new show is expected to focus on sports, pop culture and other talk of the town.

“You’re rolling into your weekend, so we’re doing a show on Friday that’s going to be sports talk and pop culture,” said Rick Garcia. “We would love to just have everybody go into the weekend with a smile on their face.”

Garcia brings more than 40 years of experience as a broadcast journalist to his new radio show, having worked with KTTV-TV (FOX), KCOP-TV (My13) and most recently with CBS.

“We are thrilled to have Rick Garcia join our team. Rick’s experience will bring a wealth of entertaining information to our listeners,” said KHTS Owner Carl Goldman. “He and his family have lived in Santa Clarita for many years. His many years in LA media has given him a perspective that is unique, fun and will be an enjoyable, must-listen each week.”

While at KTTV, Garcia hosted the NFL post-game show “Fox Overtime,” and the Major League Baseball post-game show, “Extra Inning.”

Garcia’s work has been recognized with awards, as he, along with producer Rich Marquardt, took home a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for overall sports reporting while at FOX in 1999.

While Garcia’s new show intends to stay away from heavier topics such as politics or breaking news, Garcia still has expectations of spirited discussion while he’s in charge of the airwaves.

“Sports can still be controversial, but usually in a more fun-hearted way where people like to go at each other about their favorite teams or their favorite players,” Garcia said. “Or everybody’s always got an opinion on a movie they saw but they don’t always agree.”

In the spirit of seeking differing opinions, Garcia intends to open up the show to audience participation.

“We’re going to invite listeners to be part of the show and put in their two cents,” Garcia said. “We kind of want to provide a place of therapy for people as they roll into the weekend to talk about whatever’s on their mind, whether it be the Lakers or the Dodgers or Valencia High School, the local teams.”

Garcia expects to provide no shortage of local coverage, as the show is scheduled to feature a dedicated local sports segment.

“We’re going to have a place for the local sports. As far as community sports go, we’re going to have a segment that’ll be called ‘Friday Night Lights’ to talk about all the local activities that go on at our local high schools as well,” Garcia said.

While the show is expected to focus on sports and pop culture, Garcia appears ready and willing to tackle topics from across the spectrum.

“There’ll be something for everybody,” Garcia said. “There are lots of things that go on in the world on a regular basis that can be a lot of fun to talk about.”

“My Radio Show with Rick Garcia” launches Friday, July 12 from 1 – 3 p.m. on Santa Clarita’s Hometownstation, 98.1-FM and AM-1220 or on Facebook Live.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.