Goodbye, KQED Pop! Hello, Big Leagues!

Back in 2013, KQED Pop was born. A healthy little Aquarius with a purpose: to carve out an intersectional space in public media for Millennials and other pop-culture obsessives; to prove that there's a way to write about music, television, movies and the zeitgeist at large in a smart, fun and personal way; and to smash the elitist myth of "high art" and "low art" (a breakup song by Ariana Grande is just as worthy of discussion as a Virginia Woolf novel!).

Over the years, we've covered a lot of bases.

Do you remember when we reinvestigated Nipplegate and discovered that, geez, we really owe Janet Jackson a huge apology?

Nipplegate Revisited: Why America Owes Janet Jackson a Huge Apology

Fast forward 11 years, and it was Janet's turn to carry on the family legacy of slaying at America's most popular sporting event. She pretty much did that -- although we forget -- with live renditions of hits like "Rhythm Nation" and "All for You."

Or when we defended Kim Kardashian against very angry NPR fans?

Kim Kardashian Appears on 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me,' NPR Fans Go Postal

NPR and the Kardashians don't usually find themselves in the same sentence, but it happens. This blog has done its best to prove that one can talk about pop culture and "low art" in a smart, interesting way. And the producers behind the news quiz show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Or when we told the true story of a married woman who hid a secret lover in her attic FOR A DECADE???

Meet Walburga, the Married Woman Who Hid a Secret Lover in Her Attic for a Decade

That worker turns out to be a 17-year-old by the name of Otto, who has no idea what he's about to get into. Dolly allegedly answers the door in "a silk robe, stockings, heavy perfume and nothing else" (not unlike what Joan Crawford did in her solarium to seduce Franchot Tone).

Or when we fearlessly attended a Gwyneth Paltrow cult Goop event to find out what all the fuss was about?

Deep Breaths: A Dispatch From the Gwyneth Paltrow Industrial Complex

If I'm not here to add on the hate-pile, you might ask, then why did I join a couple hundred Gwyneth fans on the street in downtown San Francisco yesterday, all for the privilege of getting an up-close-and-personal look at her line of children's clothes, face washes, and frying pans, then wait in line for nearly 90 minutes to have her royal blondness sign a cookbook for my mother?

Or that time we put our atheism aside to pray at the altar of Beyoncé?

https://www.kqed.org/pop/103388/how-a-beyonce-themed-mass-got-an-atheist-to-believe-in-something

Or when we sadly had to break up with Morrissey?

We Need to Stop Enabling Morrissey

Morrissey has a long and awful history of canceling his concerts at the last minute, for a variety of reasons that have been increasingly difficult to believe. San Francisco got the message loud and clear that Moz cares not for this city, or his fans therein, with the spate of dates he canceled between December 2011 and April 2013.

Over 10 million hits later, KQED Pop has successfully shown that pop culture—and the diverse audiences that love sharp commentary on it—bring immense value to public media. That's why, starting tomorrow, the content you've loved over the years will find a new home on the pages of KQED Arts & Culture. We're joining the big leagues!

As for me, I won't be writing as much, because I'm moving to New York to live my Felicity fantasy.

But my partner in crime, Rae Alexandra, will stay on as a pop culture writer. (Recap fans, I *might* return for the last season of Poldark and the next season of Victoria. Stay tuned.) And listeners of KQED Pop's spin-off podcast, The Cooler, don't you worry about a thing; the show will live on with me staying on as producer and host!

So let's pour one out for KQED Pop.

The blog itself might be gone, but its spirit will live on as a part of KQED Arts & Culture. Make sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter to continue getting the content you love.

As for me, you can stalk me on Twitter and Instagram.

*super deep voice like that dude from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack*
I've had the time of my life.

Thanks for reading.