KCRW Music Announcement, New Hires, Station Announcement

KCRW Announces Anne Litt as Next Program Director of Music

KCRW Announces Anne Litt as Next
Program Director of Music 

Search for Host of Morning Becomes Eclectic Intensifies

Santa Monica, CA (January 23, 2020) – KCRW announces today Anne Litt as Program Director of Music – the fifth for the station – with past Music Directors being Jason Bentley, Nic Harcourt, Chris Douridas, and Tom Schnabel. 

Litt joins two additional, key executive hires at the influential NPR affiliate with Paul Bennun recently tapped as Chief Content Officer, and Drew Tewksbury as Director of Digital Content.

“I’m thrilled to have Anne Litt as the new Program Director of Music. Anne has been finding and cultivating talent inside and outside KCRW for years. She’s primed to move KCRW and our signature music programming into the next era,” says KCRW President, Jennifer Ferro. “Anne joins Paul and Drew to round out KCRW’s new content leadership team. Along with our incredible staff, we are positioned to focus squarely on the station’s future and deliver excellence across all of our platforms – in music and talk programming – through a wide range of personalities that have made KCRW such a beloved institution.”

“After 20 years on the air at KCRW, having the opportunity to map out our future in this leadership role, at the station I’ve known, respected and valued above all others, is the honor of a lifetime,” stated Litt. “This is a pivotal moment for KCRW to redefine the meaning of ‘radio’ in the 21st century.”

The search for the next host of the station’s flagship music show, Morning Becomes Eclectic will now intensify. Details of the MBE host position will be posted here in the coming days. Litt will host MBE until the position is filled.

ANNE LITT
Growing up in Richmond, VA, Anne Litt became a lifelong radio fan. Her first on-air experience was in 1986, at the forefront of the alt-rock revolution, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s award-winning radio station, WXYC. After graduating from UNC in 1988, she joined the pioneering independent label, Mammoth Records, and was instrumental in guiding the careers of such seminal alternative stars as Juliana Hatfield, the Blake Babies, and The Sidewinders. In 1991, Litt moved to Los Angeles to explore her obsession with the SoCal music scene, and continue her career in – and be at the epicenter of – the music industry. In 1996, she started her dream job as a DJ for KCRW working various shifts until 2000 when she was tapped to host the weekend afternoon show. Litt’s signature mix of progressive pop, global rhythms and modern sounds fit right into the KCRW aesthetic, which was nationally recognized as one of the most eclectic, adventurous radio stations in the country. During her KCRW tenure, Litt has hosted countless music events including KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, First Fridays at the Museum of Natural History and KCRW’s Summer Nights. She has emceed showcases at SXSW and Sundance Film Festivals and interviewed dozens (if not hundreds) of musicians including: Beck, Yola, Nick Waterhouse, Gary Clark Jr., Patti Smith, Ty Segall, The National, Margo Price, Norah Jones, Tom Jones, Trombone Shorty, and Spoon, to name a few. In addition to helping launch the careers of countless developing artists, Litt has also been instrumental in ushering in the next generation of stellar DJs. Litt is also an accomplished music supervisor with credits that include the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for the Oscar-winning film “Little Miss Sunshine,” and campaigns for Apple, Volkswagen, and Acura. Notably, Litt placed the music in all six spots of the NBA’s legendary “There’s Only One” split-screen campaign featuring ahead-of-the-curve artists, and the unprecedented commercial use of a song by Radiohead. Litt lives in Hollywood with her husband and son. She serves on the Board of Directors for The Pablove Foundation, an organization that helps kids with cancer live a love-filled life today, and a cancer-free life tomorrow. She knows of no activity more satisfying, in this world, than discovering and sharing new music — unless it’s sailing or skiing with her son… or perhaps that time Josh Groban wrote a song about her

PAUL BENNUN
Paul Bennun is an executive with several decades experience working creatively and strategically at the junction of content and technology. Throughout his professional life, he has been a leading practitioner and thinker in radio, audio, and interactive entertainment. Co-founder of the UK’s largest radio production company, Somethin’ Else, as Chief Creative Officer he led the organization to become the BBC’s primary supplier of independently-made radio, including many of the Corporation’s most important properties across spoken word and music. Somethin’ Else was also the leading provider of outsourced social media, interactive content and video games to the BBC. In 2013 and 2015, Somethin’ Else received BAFTA’s “Production Company of the Year” award for its work across radio, TV and games. Paul started working in radio at the age of 13 in his hometown of Exeter, eventually presenting shows, and acting as the weekend traffic reporter at age 15 on Devonair, the local independent radio station. He then became a producer on various London radio stations while completing his undergraduate degree. On founding Somethin’ Else, Paul immediately started exploring the junction of sound and interactive media, directing the UK version of a legendary game called You Don’t Know Jack, which received two BAFTA nominations in 1998, the same year he received a Sony Radio Academy Award for his first series for the BBC (a two-part show about the history of funk music). During this period he co-authored a UK government report on the future of music and podcasting, became a board advisor to the BBC and the UK’s advertising industry, and presented radio shows for the BBC. On moving to the U.S.A. in 2016, Paul founded a data-driven social storytelling company, Storyblaster. He is also on the board of the Metabrainz Foundation, the music industry’s leading provider of open-sourced music metadata, powering Spotify, Amazon and most other major streaming music providers. Paul lives in Los Feliz, is a bread baker, loves to cook and owns two Shiba Inus.

DREW TEWKSBURY
Drew Tewksbury is a L.A.-based journalist, editor, and multimedia producer. As an editor at the Los Angeles Times, Tewksbury helmed coverage in the arts and books sections, where he spearheaded literary criticism and steered coverage of L.A.’s diverse creative communities. In 2018, Tewksbury was the contributing editor at GOOD Media, where he built a team of international freelancers to highlight innovators, report on global culture, and showcase inspiring people who are working to improve the world. Previously, Tewksbury was the managing editor of LA Weekly before the publication’s sale in 2017, where he oversaw the section editors, edited long-form cover stories, developed special issues, and spearheaded video production, which earned him and his team an Association of Alternative Newsmedia award for Documentary Profiles. From 2012-2016, Tewksbury was the managing editor/producer for KCETLink’s Artbound, an online arts journalism publication and Emmy-winning television show providing in-depth arts & culture coverage across Southern California. He also assisted in the development of article-based documentary videos, as part of Artbound’s Emmy-winning TV show which aired on KCETLink public media. In addition, he helped produce the live music performance show Artbound Presents: Studio A. An accomplished journalist, Tewksbury has written and reported feature articles or radio pieces for: National Public Radio (NPR), Time, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, L.A Weekly, KPCC, NME (U.K), Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Flaunt, and SWINDLE Magazine, among other publications. Tewksbury wrote and voiced regular on-air music review segments, “New Music Tuesday,” for Southern California Public Radio’s Take Two and the Madeleine Brand Show. As an educator, Tewksbury has taught Entertainment Journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where he went to graduate school. He has also taught Cultural Journalism at Loyola Marymount University. Tewksbury lives in the foothills of Echo Park — where ghostly coyotes roam at dusk and fireworks light up the summer sky — and spends too much time at the Cactus Store. He is a Gemini.

# # #

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, Berlin, Germany, and worldwide via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, or online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

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Station Announcement

Monica Shilling Named Board Chair of KCRW Foundation Saree Kayne Joins Lee Rierson as Vice Chair

Monica Shilling Named Board Chair of KCRW Foundation

Saree Kayne Joins Lee Rierson as Vice Chair

 

Shilling-Monica_Official---Cropped
 

(Santa Monica, CA—December 19, 2019)The KCRW Foundation is pleased to announce that the KCRW Foundation’s Board of Directors elected Monica Shilling as the new board chair effective December 9, 2019. She succeeds Matt Kline who served as Board Chair since 2017, and will continue to remain on the full Board of Directors. Additionally, the KCRW Foundation’s Board of Directors re-elected Lee Rierson as Vice Chair, elected Saree Kayne as an additional Vice Chair, Karyn Williams as Treasurer and Emily Gold Mears as Secretary.

The KCRW Foundation provides financial support and other resources to ensure that KCRW can maintain and expand its mission consistent with economic, social and technological developments. The KCRW Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of committed business and community leaders who place KCRW at the top of their philanthropic agenda and help the station fulfill its mission.

“KCRW is lucky to have a board of passionate fans and strategic thinkers,” said KCRW President Jennifer Ferro. “I couldn’t be more inspired to have Monica Shilling take on the leadership role as Chair of the KCRW Foundation. We have relied on her expertise and guidance for a number of years. She is a powerhouse.  She is the perfect person to take the baton from the extraordinary Matt Kline and from Michael Fleming before him.”

“I’ve loved KCRW since 1995, when I arrived in Los Angeles and found this incredible station that has inspired me and so many others over the years,” said Monica Shilling. “This is a tremendous honor and I’m humbled by my fellow board members’ confidence in me.  I look forward to working with our dynamic President, Jennifer Ferro, and fantastic staff, my board colleagues, including Vice Chairs Lee Rierson and Saree Kayne, and our friends at Santa Monica College to continue to deliver KCRW’s unique mix of content.”

Monica Shilling first joined the KCRW Foundation board in 2012, and is a transactional partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has a broad corporate and securities law practice that focuses on advising asset managers, private equity funds, and their portfolio companies on the full lifecycle of transactions. She also represents public companies, financial advisors, investment banks and issuers. She is experienced with mergers and acquisitions, capital markets offerings, leveraged buyouts, general corporate law and corporate governance, securities laws, and NYSE/Nasdaq compliance. She also advises companies on the establishment of business development companies (BDCs) and other private and public equity vehicles. Monica is among a relatively limited number of attorneys in the country who actively represent BDCs.

Monica was honored by Chambers USA at its 2012 Women in Law Awards as the Up & Coming Corporate/M&A Lawyer of the Year and was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the top 25 transactional women lawyers in California in its 2011 and 2014 TopWomen Lawyers issues.

KCRW, licensed to Santa Monica College, is a publicly funded non-profit media organization whose goal is to create and disseminate news and cultural programming that informs, inspires, and stimulates.  By creating an ongoing dialogue with its audience, KCRW strives to make an impact not only on the cultural conversation of Southern California, but of the United States and the world.

The KCRW Foundation Board includes:
Monica Shilling, Chair
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Lee Rierson, Vice Chair
Head of Business & Operations, wiip

Saree Kayne, Vice Chair
Doctoral Candidate, Stanford University

Karyn L. Williams, Treasurer
CEO, Hightree Group

Emily Gold Mears, Secretary
President, North Star Drive Investments, LLC

Jennifer Ferro, President
President, KCRW

Norris Bishton, Jr.
President, NOARUS Auto Group/Partner, Bishton Gubernick

Jay Borzi
Senior Managing Director, Eastdil Secured

Donald de Brier
Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Shahram Delijani
Partner, Delson Investment Company/Partner, Broadway Theater Group

Michael Fleming
Executive Director, David Bohnett Foundation

Susan Genco
Co-President, Azoff MSG

Donald Girard
Senior Director, Government Relations and Institutional Communications, Santa Monica College

Paul Haas
Agent/Partner, WME Entertainment

Mike Harmon
Managing Partner, Gaviota Advisors, LLC

Julia Huang
CEO, Group Intertrend

Matt Kline
Partner, O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Heather Mingst
Philanthropist and Community Volunteer

Silas Myers
CEO, Mar Vista Investment Partners

Rob Rader
General Counsel, OVATION

Deborah S. Ramo
Senior Communications Advisor

Karen Roth
President, NPR Berlin

George Strompolos
Founder and CEO, Fullscreen

Kevin Systrom
Co-Founder of Instagram

Akio Tagawa
Principal, Linea Solutions

Tom Wertheimer
Media Consultant

Edward A. Woods
Partner Emeritus, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Dylan Yolles
Partner, Capital Group Companies

Emeritus Members:
Stuart Bloomberg
Television Producer

Rod Perth
President and Chief Executive Officer, NATPE

Adele Yellin
President, The Yellin Company

KCRW Foundation Santa Barbara Advisory Board:
Geoff Green
Chair CEO, Santa Barbara City College Foundation

Tricia Backelin
Executive Coach, Consultant to KCRW

Carolyn Butcher
English Professor, Santa Barbara City College

Lou Cannon
Journalist & Author

Vanessa Decker
Entrepreneur

Neil DiPaola
CEO & Managing Partner, Mesa Lane Partners

Mark Funk
Board Member and Financial Consultant

Frederick Janka
Executive Director of Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation

Cassandra Jones-Jorgensen
Contemporary Artist

Mikael Jorgensen
Musician

Alixe Mattingly
Communications Strategist

Joe Medjuck
Film Producer

Graciela Montgomery
HR Consultant to NPR

Tim Owens
Journalist, Educator

Marianne Partridge
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief, The Independent

Phil Pollok
Co-Founder, Anacapa Micro

Scott Reed
President, Music Academy of the West

Starshine Roshell
Journalist & Author

Ken Saxon
Founder & President, Leading From Within

Jarrod Schwartz
Executive Director, Just Communities

Rob Skinner
Chief Innovation Officer, Montecito Bank & Trust

Rachel Kaganoff Stern
Interim CEO at the Junior State of America Foundation

Anne Towbes
Community Leader & Philanthropist

Jonathan Wang
Financial Planner & President, Adsum Foundation

 

About KCRW

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw


Press Contact:
 Jeremy Weinstein
424.538.8878
jeremy.weinstein@kcrw.org

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Station Announcement

Jason Bentley to Complete Tenure as KCRW Music Director and Host of Morning Becomes Eclectic

Jason Bentley to Complete Tenure as KCRW Music Director and Host of Morning Becomes Eclectic

Nationwide Search for Replacement Commences

Santa Monica, CA (June 13, 2019) – KCRW announces today that Jason Bentley will complete his ten-year term as KCRW’s Music Director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic. Bentley’s last show as host of Morning Becomes Eclectic will be August 30, 2019. KCRW will be conducting a nationwide search to find Bentley’s replacement. Bentley will continue to host his popular Saturday-night global electronic mix show, Metropolis.

“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve this community, working closely with musicians and local arts institutions, and helping shape the sound of the greatest radio station on Earth,” comments Bentley. “Now, I’m excited to explore new directions and make way for KCRW’s continued success.”

“Every Music Director at KCRW has made their lasting mark on KCRW and Jason is no different. His radio-perfect voice and impeccable music taste has inspired so many. Jason’s attention to detail and programming instinct made a true impact here. I know he leaves KCRW in a better place and am excited to see what else he does next,” states KCRW President Jennifer Ferro.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Jason Bentley began his career at KCRW as a volunteer after graduating from Santa Monica High School in 1988, eventually earning a regular weeknight air shift in 1992. In subsequent years, he developed a respected profile in the music industry as an A&R man, concert promoter, and music supervisor for film. In 2008 he became Music Director for KCRW and host of their signature music program Morning Becomes Eclectic —which has served as an early platform for the likes of Adele, Radiohead, Beck, Phoenix, and many more. With guests as varied as Elton John, Jack White, David Lynch, Gustavo Dudamel, and countless live performances from the best bands from the indie music world, Morning Becomes Eclectic has remained a formidable music discovery engine feeding an influential audience in Los Angeles and around the world. 

During his tenure at KCRW, Bentley brought his musical aesthetic to the streets of LA, spearheading the station’s acclaimed Summer Nights concert series, including Sound In Focus with the Annenberg Foundation, the annual fan favorite Halloween bash Masquerade, and KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. His work also extended to public programs at the Hammer Museum, Union Station, Grand Park at City Hall, and Chinatown’s historic central plaza. 

As a music supervisor, Bentley’s credits include both The Matrix trilogy and Tron Legacy with Daft Punk. Bentley has appeared as a host and DJ at such renowned cultural events as the Governors Ball – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official post-Oscars® celebration, Coachella, The Electric Daisy Carnival, HARD, San Diego’s CRSSD Fest, and Lightning in a Bottle, among others.

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, Berlin, Germany, and worldwide via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, or online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

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Station Announcement

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awards KCRW $200,000 One-Year General Operating Grant

 

KCRW Announces $200,000 One-Year General Operating Grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

SANTA MONICA, CA (12/17/18)—The Westlake Village-based Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded Southern California public radio station, KCRW, a $200,000 one-year general operating grant to help KCRW continue producing hundreds of hours of original content and programming per week. The general operating grant will further KCRW’s mission to be a primary news and cultural resource to educate, inform and inspire our community throughout California and across the globe.

As one of public media’s most innovative leaders, KCRW produces a diverse selection of programming, including public service journalism, in-studio music performances, and in-depth interviews with newsmakers and cultural catalysts.

Since its inception, news has been a staple of KCRW’s programming through both local and nationally-focused shows. Daily news and cultural programs such as Press Play hosted by Madeleine Brand, have kept Angelenos in-the-know about their city, while projects such as Left, Right, and Center have provided a space for voices from across the political spectrum to discuss the most pressing national issues of the day.

With the generous support of the Hilton Foundation, KCRW can continue creating trendsetting programming that unites curious minds and has a national impact through syndication on 175 public media outlets around the country and beyond.

“We are grateful to the Hilton Foundation for this generous support of KCRW’s mission to educate, inform and inspire our community. By telling the stories of the news events, culture and music of Southern California, KCRW is able to represent the world to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to the world,” says Jennifer Ferro, KCRW President.  

This most recent grant follows a three-year, $1,000,000 multi-media deep dive into issues to tell the stories of the most vulnerable populations throughout Los Angeles from 2015 through the first half of 2018. The grant resulted in three in-depth series (Below the Ten, KCRW Investigates, and There Goes the Neighborhood), partnerships with the United Way HomeWalk walk to end homelessness, and WNYC, among others.

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, Berlin, Germany, via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, and online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw

Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio

Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw

Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw

YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping young children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In 2018, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize was awarded to SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities), a grassroots organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants, distributing $114.9 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2017. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

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KCRW Music Announcement, Station Announcement

KCRW Releases New App with Apple Music and Spotify Integration

KCRW Releases New App
with Apple Music and Spotify Integration

The new design showcases podcasts and on-demand shows, allows users to build their own playlists from their favorite KCRW DJs, and helps members find benefits with an interactive map.

Today KCRW launched the newly-redesigned KCRW app. Free and available for IOS and Android, the new app has an improved user interface and a bevy of features geared towards a better experience for members and fans alike:

  • Be your own DJ! Play KCRW’s Top Tracks at any party right off your phone, or stream your favorite DJ’s show on demand. No time to plan, Eclectic 24 is always there for you – 24/7.
  • Spotify and Apple Music integration – now you can connect the KCRW app to your Spotify or Apple Music account to instantly play, and save songs, without leaving the app.
  • Unlike podcast-only apps, favorite podcasts and music shows can be added to one feed. Episodes can also be saved offline for use in areas where wi-fi/service is spotty (i.e. your next long flight!)
  • KCRW Members now have their Fringe Benefits card conveniently available in the app, with a new, interactive map that finds the benefits near you when you’re on the go.  Filter by food, culture or entertainment and flash your digital card to rack up benefits.
  • And of course live radio streaming is available, including optional live-streams from KCRW Berlin as well as exclusive content like Today’s Top Tune – Live and Free from MBE, featuring select songs from Morning Becomes Eclectic performances, chosen by the artists themselves.

The new KCRW app is available now for both IOS and Android users at the App store.

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, and online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw
YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

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KCRW Music Announcement, Station Announcement

Jack White Performs Live, Songs from his new album, Boarding House Reach

Jack White Performs Live, Songs From His New Album, Boarding House Reach

Friday, March 23, at 10:00 AM on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic

On Friday, March 23, at 10:00 a.m., Jack White will perform tracks from his new album, Boarding House Reach, on the day of its release, live on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. This will be one of White’s first live radio sessions supporting the new record, and one of his first live performances in four years.

The session also includes an interview with Jason Bentley during which they discussed hip-hop’s influence on the new record and upcoming touring plans. White also shared how he got back to basics while recording Boarding House Reach.

“Your dream scenario when you’re younger, is if I just had a Stratocaster, this would sound so much better, if I just had this mic, it would sound so much better,” says White. “But, as I learned again what I was doing, those cheap microphones, the cheap equipment I had was very important to getting the sound, the soulfulness of what you’re trying to put down. It doesn’t matter about the microphone…You don’t really even need to know what your doing, you need to know why you’re doing it. You can be very bad at twiddling the knobs and the faders, and all of that, but if you know why you’re doing it – your attitude – is very much a large part of the game.”

Tune in to hear the live performance and interview at 10:00 a.m. PDT, on air, or at KCRW.com. Video of the interview portion will be available on demand at kcrw.com.

Morning Becomes Eclectic, hosted by KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley, is the station’s signature daily music program (9:00 AM – Noon) featuring new releases from emerging and established artists, underappreciated gems, live performances and interviews.

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, and online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw
YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

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Programming, Station Announcement

KCRW and WNYC Studios Announce “There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles”

KCRW and WNYC Studios Announce

“There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles”

An EightPart Podcast Series

Examining Gentrification in LA in 2017

Hosted by KCRW’s Saul Gonzalez

Inspired by WNYC’s Original Podcast Set in Brooklyn

TGTN: LA to Debut on Tuesday, September 26

Preview Episode Available Today

 

(New York, NY & Los Angeles, CA – September 21, 2017) – Today, two major public radio producers – KCRW and WNYC – announce the launch of There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles, an eight-part podcast series examining the winners and losers of neighborhood gentrification, and the forces driving it in Los Angeles.

The series is a new season of WNYC Studios’ original There Goes the Neighborhood podcast, which featured an in-depth look at gentrification in Brooklyn at a time when the borough had come to symbolize the phenomenon.

Debuting Tuesday, September 26, There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles will explore how LA has gone from the place to chase your dreams to one of the least affordable cities in the country. The series will take an unsparing look at urban development and soaring housing prices that are expanding into previously unaffected neighborhoods such as Jefferson Park, Inglewood, and Elysian Valley.

In the preview episode, Kai Wright – who hosted the original podcast – hands the series over to Los Angeles host and KCRW reporter Saul Gonzalez. Additional episodes will tell the stories of people dealing with the realities of gentrification on an intimate level: long-time residents, property owners, and community organizers, as well as developers and neighborhood newcomers, including:

Photo by Saul Gonzalez

  • Cesar Vega, a native Angeleno whose bungalow in Hollywood is surrounded on three sides by enormous new apartment buildings. “The way the city approaches [all the new construction] is that it’s an improvement, it’s a benefit to everybody. That the rising tide lifts all boats. But I’m not sure people in small boats wrote that, you know?”
  • Erin Aubry Kaplan, an Inglewood resident who welcomes new businesses but wonders why it’s taken so long. “People have been asking for decades for certain things, improvements, better this, better that… and somehow it only happens when this gentrification process starts. Until that happens nothing happens.”
  • Michael Parker, an artist living downtown who’s facing eviction. “If I get pushed out of the Arts District with the name of the neighborhood named after me, then I’m going to go gentrify somebody else and push somebody else out. That doesn’t make me feel good.”
  • David Schwartzman, president of Harridge Development Group. “I think there’s a very negative connotation to the word developer. I mean at least the way I look at it is, I’m trying to create jobs, we’re changing lifestyles, we’re upgrading an area. And that’s the thing, I think we are making the country better.”

In addition to Gonzalez, There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles will feature reporting from KCRW contributors, including housing reporter Anna Scott, data and investigative producer Miguel Contreras, and Design and Architecture host and producer team, Frances Anderton and Avishay Artsy.

“Wherever I go in L.A., I hear people talk about how worried they are about the cost of housing and just how hard they have to work to keep a roof over their heads. That fear is only heightened by gentrification and this feeling that Los Angeles is becoming one big playground for the rich, a great place if you have money, a terrible one if you don’t. I think the fundamental question facing Los Angeles is whether working people can still create decent lives for themselves and their families here. If they can’t, we all get hurt,” Gonzalez says.

Sonya Geis, KCRW’s Managing Editor, says “Whether you own or rent a place to live in L.A., you can feel the changes. Prices are skyrocketing, new building is everywhere, this is not the Los Angeles of 20, or even 10 years ago. The intention of this series is to look hard at why this is happening now and to listen to the voices of the many people who are anxious about whether they will have a place in the L.A. of the future.”

“With shows like ‘There Goes the Neighborhood,’ WNYC’s newsroom has strived to bake deep, local reporting into the surge of podcasting that is among the most vital forces in media today,” said Jim Schachter, Vice President of News, WNYC. “To partner with another public radio station on a new season of one of our signature podcasts is a mark of the kind of leadership WNYC aims to demonstrate.”

“We started ‘There Goes the Neighborhood’ in our own backyard because Brooklyn is ground zero for many of the trends and tactics developers are using to rapidly transform urban neighborhoods,” said Karen Frillmann, Executive Producer, WNYC. “But, in fact, the ‘Brooklyn-izing’ of cities is happening all over the world and Los Angeles is another example of how the swiftly changing economy of a city can make it inaccessible to its own residents. This partnership with KCRW allows us to bring these stories and perspectives to light.”

There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles premieres Tuesday, September 26 at kcrw.com/theregoestheneighborhood, wnyc.org/shows/neighborhood, Apple Podcasts, and all other places where podcasts may be downloaded. The preview episode is available here.

There Goes the Neighborhood: Los Angeles is funded by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation as part of a multi-year reporting project to tell stories of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable communities. It follows “KCRW Investigates” and “Below the Ten: Stories of South LA,” documentaries about the lives of Los Angeles workers and residents who find themselves on the edges of society.

ABOUT KCRW

KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways – on the radio, digitally and in person – to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Berlin, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via the KCRW smartphone app and online at kcrw.com | twitter.com/kcrw | facebook.com/kcrwradio | instagram.com/kcrw

ABOUT WNYC STUDIOS

WNYC Studios is the premier producer of on-demand and broadcast audio, home to some of the most critically acclaimed and popular podcasts of the last decade, including “Radiolab,” “2 Dope Queens,” “Nancy,” “The New Yorker Radio Hour,” “Freakonomics Radio,” “Death, Sex & Money,” “Here’s the Thing” with Alec Baldwin, “Note to Self,” “On the Media,” and “A Piece of Work” with Abbi Jacobson.  WNYC Studios is leading the new golden age in audio with podcasts and national radio programs that inform, inspire, and delight millions of intellectually curious and highly engaged listeners across digital, mobile, and broadcast platforms. Their programs include personal narratives, deep journalism, interviews that reveal, and smart entertainment as varied and intimate as the human voice itself. For more information, visit wnycstudios.wnyc.org

 

Press Contacts:

KCRW: Connie Alvarez, Communications
310.314.4673, connie.alvarez@kcrw.org

WNYC Studios: Camille Ortiz, Publicist
646.829.4331, cortiz@nypublicradio.org

 

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Media Document, Station Announcement

Berlin’s new English language public radio station – KCRW Berlin 104.1 FM

 

 

Berlin’s new English language public radio station – KCRW Berlin 104,1 FM

Berlin, September 14, 2017- We are pleased to announce that the Medienanstalt Berlin- Brandenburg has granted the license to the frequency 104,1 FM to KCRW Berlin. KCRW Berlin is a locally operated English language community radio station affiliated with KCRW, US public radio’s flagship station for Southern California.

KCRW Berlin represents cutting edge US public radio with an eclectic mix of independent music, news, talk and arts programming. Broadcasts will include locally produced content reflecting the spirit of Berlin, NPR news shows, as well as shows produced by KCRW and other public radio entities in the United States. Community events will also feature strongly in KCRW Berlin’s activities, from annual holiday events to Town Halls and panel discussions.

As KCRW’s first international partner, KCRW Berlin provides a unique platform for cultural exchange and leveraging the 50-year Sister City relationship between Berlin and Los Angeles.

Upcoming programming will include:

  •  Visiting hosts and shows between Berlin and the United States
  •   Daily local headlines
  •   Weekly current affairs show on topics of local interest.
  •   Monthly show on German and European public policy
  •   Berlin culture show
  •   Music show featuring Berlin techno sounds
  •   Guests segments featuring Berlin-based DJs on KCRW’s dance and electronic music show,‘Metropolis’“KCRW is thrilled to be expanding its voice within the international community,” said Jennifer Ferro, President, KCRW, Los Angeles. “Berlin is one of the most exciting cities in the world. It shares the spirit that we find in Los Angeles – an international destination driven by arts, culture, music, food, politics and policy.”

    To find out more about our upcoming events and programs listen to us, beginning October 1, 2017 on 104.1 FM. Be sure to tune in!

    About KCRW
    KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Berlin, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via the KCRW smart phone app and online at kcrw.com |twitter.com/kcrw | facebook.com/kcrwradio| instagram.com/kcrw

    Media Contacts:
    KCRW: Jill Smayo, VP Operations, KCRW, jill.smayo@kcrw.org, +1 310-314-4628
    KCRW Berlin: Susan Woosley, COO, susan.woosley@kcrwberlin.org, +49 (0)151 2128 3304

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Programming, Station Announcement

Warren Olney Going Deeper Into the Critical Issues Shaping Our World

WARREN OLNEY
GOING DEEPER INTO THE CRITICAL ISSUES
SHAPING OUR WORLD

KCRW MOVES
SIGNATURE NATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS SHOW 

TO THE POINT
TO PODCAST PLATFORM NOVEMBER 13

KCRW announced that starting November 13, 2017, To The Point, the signature daily national public affairs show, will be moving from the broadcast platform to a weekly podcast platform.

The final daily broadcast of TTP will be November 10th.

To The Point joins a comprehensive set of exclusive podcasts that bring a wealth of ideas and topics to KCRW listeners, including  Scheer Intelligence, Unfictional, The Organist, Here Be Monsters, Off the Block, Below the Ten, Celestial Blood / Sangre Celestial, and The Document.

Warren Olney said of his tenure at KCRW, “After 25 years in commercial TV news and 25 years in public radio, I’m getting a rare opportunity for another phase in my career. To the Point is becoming a weekly podcast. Without the tyranny of the radio clock, I’ll have time to explore issues that underlie the 24-7 onslaught of daily information. I think listeners will be glad to hear probing conversations about those issues without artificial limits.

“Over the years, on To the Point—and, before that, on Which Way, LA?– I’ve interviewed pundits, politicians, scholars, business leaders, scientists, writers, activists and comedians—representing America’s diversity in multiple ways. After every program ends, I’ve talked to these guests, and they always have something new and interesting to say, something I wish the radio audience had been able to hear. Podcasting will allow my audience to share extended conversations that are informal, direct, engaging and informative. I’m eager to get started the first week of November.”

KCRW President Jennifer Ferro called Warren Olney, “the voice of reason for multiple generations and the pinnacle of credibility for KCRW and Los Angeles.” Ferro added, “He has helped us all through confusing and often frightening world and national events with calmness, clarity and intelligence.  The podcast platform is perfect for his style of thoughtful conversation and what I love is that Warren is still going to be our voice of reason in a format that is growing more powerful each day. I can’t wait to hear what’s next because the truth is that he is truly irreplaceable.”

Ferro continued, “We are building a parallel broadcast universe with podcasts. Whether they are part of our regular programming, or exclusive to this platform, they give our producers full creativity to explore stories and ideas to their potential, especially in terms of length. It gives our listeners the freedom to listen whenever it is most convenient to absorb these ideas.”

Olney also plans to step up his live Los Angeles appearances. He will host a live event series in partnership with Zocalo Public Square, diving into similar issues that he will tackle in his podcast. The first event will be held on October 10th at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo.

To subscribe to Warren Olney’s To The Point podcast, go to kcrw.com/podcasts.

ABOUT KCRW

KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. KCRW is driven by the spirit of Los Angeles and delivers in innovative ways – on the radio, digitally and in person – to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world.  A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via its KCRW-developed smartphone app and online at KCRW.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw

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Station Announcement

KCRW’S ‘LEFT, RIGHT & CENTER’ EXPANDS TO A FULL HOUR BEGINNING JULY 7

NO FAKE NEWS HERE! KCRW’S ‘LEFT, RIGHT & CENTER’ EXPANDS ITS CIVILIZED, YET PROVOCATIVE NEWS OF THE WEEK CONVERSATION TO A FULL HOUR BEGINNING JULY 7 

Hosted by Josh Barro, Katrina vanden Heuvel and Rich Lowry, New Installments of Witty and Engaging Radio Show and Podcast Airs Fridays at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM On KCRW
And Over 30 Stations Nationwide

 

Link to High-Res Talent Photos: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/wIm8JTvdHP

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPDLgISne10&feature=youtu.be

 

Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 2017 — KCRW’s Left, Right‎ & Center, a nationally syndicated radio show and popular podcast known for its civilized versus divisive approach to differing opinions about the issues facing America, will expand ‎from 30 minutes to one hour beginning Friday, July 7, it was announced today by Gary Scott, Program Director, KCRW.

Praised by both sides of the aisle for its provocative and compelling exchange about politics, policy and popular culture, KCRW’s weekly program, airing Fridays at 2:30 and 7:00 pm PT, (and available for download from iTunes, kcrw.com and more) is moderated by Business Insider senior editor and MSNBC contributor Josh Barro, and features The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel on behalf of the left, and National Review editor in chief Rich Lowry commenting on behalf of the right.

On the decision to expand the show to a full hour, Scott said: “Political discourse is at a low point. Talking heads are preying on this divide. This makes KCRW’s Left, Right & Center more important than ever. Few places are committed to reasoned discussion and real listening by all sides. LRC is one of KCRW’s most popular shows, on air and as a podcast, which shows that now is the time to double our efforts – and the time we spend – on this critical exchange.” He added: “After hitting an all-time high of almost one million podcast downloads last May, we knew this was a conversation that required more air time. Thanks to Josh, Katrina and Rich for continuing to encourage the kind of refreshing conversation that is sorely needed in today’s exhausting news cycle.”

Since its launch in 1996, party pundits and all-star journalists from every angle of the political spectrum have participated in what has been touted as an honest and thoughtful antidote to the self-contained opinion bubbles that dominate the political debate. Most recently, the podcast was acknowledged for its revelations without the rhetoric during Samantha Bee’s memorable Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologue.

Katrina vanden Heuvel noted: “I believe that intelligent political commentary demands independent thinking. In an age when journalism seems more defined by partisanship, I welcome being part of Left, Right & Center, a show that seeks complexity not certainty. And at a time when we see a coarsening of language and a vilification of those whose ideas aren’t a match with our own, the show provides a forum for airing substantive disagreements in a bold, meaningful way and with a respect that is often lacking in our media today.”

Lowry said: “At a time of poisonous incivility in our public life, Left, Right & Center provides a platform for sharp but civil disagreement, where substance trumps rhetoric and persuasion is more important than denunciation. The program is an oasis where ideas still matter and differences over them are aired fully, sincerely–and respectfully. Bombast need not apply.”

Barro added: “American politics has gotten more polarized and weirder than ever before in my life. It feels like both sides are talking past each other. We like to say our show provides a ‘civilized yet provocative’ forum to share ideas across the political spectrum, engaging without sniping. Such engagement is increasingly rare, yet more important than ever. So we’re going to provide more of it.”

Airing on over 30 public radio stations across the country (check local listings) and available for download at iTunes, KCRW.com and more, Left, Right & Center, has been a touchstone for listeners seeking a robust conversation about topics ranging from the Russia investigation, immigration and the secrecy of the healthcare bill to James Comey’s testimony and more recently the shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in DC. A rotating list of luminaries and special guests featured in recent weeks includes Keli Goff, Gene Sperling, Christopher Ingraham, Molly Ball, Mickey Kaus, Juliette Kayyem, and more.

This month, the program added a new segment, It’s Been Busy, exploring topics that often get lost in the world of Trump headlines. Whether it’s delving into issues like opioids that kill more Americans each year than the HIV epidemic at its height or an update of the aggressive backroom effort to repeal Obamacare, the program dissects and analyzes possible solutions that prove elusive to policy makers and seeks substantive answers versus the scandal and sensationalism that pervades our cultural landscape. Left, Right & Center’s popular Rants segment will continue to provide a political soapbox for the hosts and weekly guests giving them 30 seconds to share their very personal issue-specific points of view without interruption or condescension from the opposition.

 

ABOUT KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. KCRW is driven by the spirit of Los Angeles and delivers in innovative ways – on the radio, digitally and in person – to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world.  A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo and via KCRW-developed smartphone apps and online at KCRW.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw

# # #

Press Contact: Sheila Feren, FerenComm for KCRW, sheilaf@ferencomm.com, 212.983.9898

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