Here’s who’s joined the party so far, with more to come.

We’re throwing a year-long public radio party and you’re invited!

Join us as we celebrate public radio’s unique ways of keeping us connected, informed, and entertained. From the nostalgic to the new, we’re presenting a year of live events featuring some of the most legendary and innovative creators in the public media landscape.

Welcome to Public Radio Palooza 2022.

Past Shows

Alan Cumming & Ari Shapiro: 'Och And Oy! A Considered Cabaret’

Friday & Saturday, January 21 & 22, 7:30 p.m.

The Broad Stage

Every great party needs a few songs and stories, so what better way to kick off Public Radio Palooza than with a cabaret starring NPR’s “All Things Considered” host Ari Shapiro and actor Alan Cumming, who won the Tony Award® for “Cabaret”?

Terry Gross: A Virtual Conversation Hosted By Josie Huang

Saturday, February 26, 3:00 p.m.

Virtual

Go behind-the-mic with Terry Gross, in conversation with KPCC’s own Josie Huang, as they discuss what makes a great interview and what happens when they don’t go as planned. This is a rare opportunity to witness the legendary interviewer answering, instead of asking, the questions.

BBC: The Arts Hour on Tour in L.A. – Live with Nikki Bedi

Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.

REDCAT

Host Nikki Bedi is joined onstage by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, Oscar nominated director Sian Heder, and showrunner, screenwriter and producer Soo Hugh, wth live performances from LA rapper and Grammy nominee, D Smoke, and Ceci Bastida, a ska punk pioneer from Tijuana turned LA singer/songwriter sensation. The hilarious stand-up comic and TV writer Megan Gailey will keep us laughing.

AirTalk's 20th Annual FilmWeek Oscar Preview with Larry Mantle
 
Sunday, March 20, 1:00 p.m.
Theatre at Ace Hotel

Join Larry and our top-notch critics a week before the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, as they break down the major categories and nominations and offer their hot takes, praise and even eyerolls.

Brains On! LIVE - Your Brain is Magic

Sunday, May 1, 2:00 p.m.
Aratani Theatre

The creators of the hit kids podcast, Brains On!, are throwing a science party! Hosts Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten will be there with magic tricks, dance moves, out-of-body experiences, mystery sounds, and even a game show!

Latino USA: Live in LA

Sunday, June 26, 7:30 p.m.
Theatre at Ace Hotel

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and host Maria Hinojosa brings Los Angeles to the stage as Latino USA explores how Latinos and Latinas are making their own mark in Hollywood.

On Point LIVE with Meghna Chakrabarti 

Tuesday, July 12, 7:00 p.m.
Crawford Family Forum

Host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world. Each show is a deeply researched, beautifully produced hour. The audience will learn, be challenged — and have some fun, too. 

1A LIVE with Jenn White

Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 p.m.
Crawford Family Forum
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1A host Jenn White (she/her) will talk to chef Keith Corbin about his journey to the helm of a successful restaurant, via Watts, with stops at some of California’s most notorious maximum security prisons.

Close-Ups: Five Latin American Portraits with Radio Ambulante’s Daniel Alarcón

Thursday, September 15, 7:00 p.m.
Crawford Family Forum
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Radio Ambulante is Latin America’s most ambitious narrative journalism podcast. Distributed by NPR, the program offers a sonic portrait of the region and everywhere Spanish is spoken. Host Daniel Alarcón joins us for a solo, multimedia experience.

This Is Uncomfortable LIVE with Reema Khrais

Wednesday, September 21, 7:00 p.m.
Crawford Family Forum
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Marketplace’s This Is Uncomfortable is coming to Pasadena for a live taping of the show on September 21. It’ll be part podcast recording, part live music performance, and part financial confessional.

Ira Glass & Jad Abumrad: An Evening With The Creators Of This American Life & Radiolab

Saturday, December 10, 7:00 p.m.
Theatre at Ace Hotel
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Prolific audio storytellers Ira Glass and Jad Abumrad, hosts of iconic radio programs This American Life and Radiolab respectively, come together to take you on a journey of insight, investigation, and humanity in a way that only they can. 

Our Body Politic LIVE with Farai Chideya 

Thursday, December 15, 7:00 p.m.
Crawford Family Forum
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Our Body Politic host, Farai Chideya (she/her), will talk with New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims (she/her) on what adulthood— or “adulting”— looks like for millennials, Gen Zers, and all of us in these uncertain times. Artist and vocalist Monica Martin (she/her) joins with a solo performance.

We take the safety and wellbeing of our community, audience, and staff very seriously. Our events team is constantly monitoring the status of the coronavirus and its variants, as well as staying up to date on state, city, and county guidelines and researching best practices for convening safely.