KQED joins fellow noncommercial music stations, performers, and fans across the country on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, to recognize public radio’s essential community service and unique role in the music world locally and nationally.

Millions of listeners tune in weekly to hundreds of local public radio music stations across America to discover, learn, and enjoy a mix of music selections, artists, and genres that are, in many cases, available only on public radio. KQED will highlight its role in Bay Area music journalism and discovery.

KQED will honor the local creative community during the third annual Public Radio Music Day in the following ways:

Forum

Wednesday, by Congressional decree, is Public Radio Music Day. We’re celebrating by listening to some of our favorite live music performances from Forum and from the KQED Live series, which hosts performances, discussions, food experiences and live storytelling in our beautiful KQED building.  We’ll listen back to Mexican musician Silvana Estrada – who was in town earlier this year for the San Jose Jazz Festival – and local musicians Fantastic Negrito, Salami Rose Joe Louis and La Doña.

In person

Mariposas de Almas perform live as part of KQED’s recognition of Dia de los Muertos - music, poetry and stories. Get tickets or register for the livestream here.

KQED Arts

A column by Pendarvis Harshaw advocating for the diversity in style, voice and sound in Bay Area hip-hop and R&B.

A feature by Andrew Gilbert looking at the state of the blues in San Francisco, once a blues capital, now facing club closures and festival foldings, using a reissue of John Lee Hooker's 1989 album 'The Healer' as a lens.

Resharing selections from the Pass The Aux series, highlighting new tracks by Bay Area artists.

Rightnowish

Rightnowish features a landing page/playlist of episodes about music/musicians to be shared via social media.

The California Report

Join us for a look at the Bay Area's Afrobeat music scene.

KQED 9

Austin City Limits will feature Brandi Carlisle on the evening of Public Radio Music Day.

Social Media

Watch KQED's social media channels for highlights from our music journalism and more.

This year's theme - Discovering the Sound of Local Communities - spotlights public radio stations’ return to producing live local concerts and music discovery events for their communities across all genres.