Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Before smartphones, apps, and smart speakers, Texans picked up the phone and dialed a number to hear the time and temperature. It was a daily ritual in the 1970s and 1980s. Kids called to see if it was cold enough for school to be canceled. Adults called just to hear a steady, familiar voice on the other end of the line.
Today, John Lockridge is bringing those time and temperature phone numbers back to life across Texas.
With a background in telephony and a lifelong fascination with phones, John has restored and maintains hundreds of local time and temperature numbers, preserving a small but meaningful piece of Texas history. His work has struck a nerve with thousands of people who remember calling hourly, and even with some who still call today because they find comfort in hearing a dependable human voice.
In this Texas Country Reporter story, we explore why these dial-in services mattered, how they became woven into everyday life, and why nostalgia alone is not the only reason people still call. For some, the time and temperature number was once the only adult conversation they had all day.
Despite modern technology making these services unnecessary, John believes there is no reason to throw away something meaningful just because something newer exists. Time and temperature, after all, are perennial questions, and the moments they measure still matter.
You can find current Texas time and temperature numbers at TxTime.net
John Lochridge
TxTime.net
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Facebook ► facebook.com/TexasCountryReporter
Instagram ► instagram.com/texascountryreporter
Texas Country Reporter #telephone #landline
Episode #: 1954
Original air date: 2-8-2025
Before smartphones, apps, and smart speakers, Texans picked up the phone and dialed a number to hear the time and temperature. It was a daily ritual in the 1970s and 1980s. Kids called to see if it was cold enough for school to be canceled. Adults called just to hear a steady, familiar voice on the other end of the line.
Today, John Lockridge is bringing those time and temperature phone numbers back to life across Texas.
With a background in telephony and a lifelong fascination with phones, John has restored and maintains hundreds of local time and temperature numbers, preserving a small but meaningful piece of Texas history. His work has struck a nerve with thousands of people who remember calling hourly, and even with some who still call today because they find comfort in hearing a dependable human voice.
In this Texas Country Reporter story, we explore why these dial-in services mattered, how they became woven into everyday life, and why nostalgia alone is not the only reason people still call. For some, the time and temperature number was once the only adult conversation they had all day.
Despite modern technology making these services unnecessary, John believes there is no reason to throw away something meaningful just because something newer exists. Time and temperature, after all, are perennial questions, and the moments they measure still matter.
You can find current Texas time and temperature numbers at TxTime.net
John Lochridge
TxTime.net
Tik Tok ► vm.tiktok.com/ZMR7EpeVw
Facebook ► facebook.com/TexasCountryReporter
Instagram ► instagram.com/texascountryreporter
Texas Country Reporter #telephone #landline
Episode #: 1954
Original air date: 2-8-2025
