THE SECOND HOUR OF THE POPULAR, LONG-RUNNING CALL-IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR BROADCAST ON STATIONS ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND WILL FOCUS ON ISSUES OF RACE, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
KQED announces that the long-running public affairs call-in radio program Forum, will begin making the 10am hour of the program available for public media stations across California starting July 13, 2020. The second hour of the 9-11am weekday program will be hosted by Mina Kim, who’s shifting from her role as the Friday host of Forum and afternoon anchor for KQED News. As part of this change, the 10am hour of the program will look at current affairs through the lens of race, justice and equality. Longtime host Michael Krasny will continue to host the 9am hour of the program.
“Forum has long been the premier Bay Area radio program for thoughtful dialogue and debate about the issues affecting us in our communities,” explains Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. “It’s notable for bringing in a wide range of perspectives to any conversation on the issues of our times. This shift means we’ll be more intentional in bringing diverse voices and perspectives as we grapple with the systemic racism that infects our world.”
Co-host Mina Kim will bring her editorial expertise and curiosity to Forum listeners on a daily basis, specifically connecting these broader themes to a statewide audience. On March 23, shortly after shelter-in-place orders were put into effect across California, the second hour of Forum was offered to stations across the state, including KCLU in Thousand Oaks and KVMR in the Sierra Foothills, to bring community focused coverage about the COVID-19 crisis beyond the Bay Area.
“This is a moment of unprecedented change and people are hungry for meaningful dialogue about these issues,” says Kim, who’s been with KQED full-time since 2010. “I couldn’t be more excited and honored to help bring Forum to other communities across the state — and to bring in a wider range of voices to these conversations.”