Author: Jon Kalish
Radio producer Ben Manilla dies at 71
"No one knew more about radio and audio programming and entertainment than Ben Manilla," said actor Dan Ackroyd.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorOctober 8, 2024Larry Bensky, correspondent and anchor for KPFA and Pacifica, dies at 87
“Larry's brand of journalism — personality along with in-depth reporting — was a model for countless reporters and hosts coming up in ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorMay 22, 2024How Cheryl Devall looks to build on ‘beautiful structure’ of KRVS
“I love that we don’t sound like any other NPR affiliate,” says Devall, a former NPR journalist who began managing the station ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorApril 30, 2024Ruth Seymour, KCRW manager who shaped the sound of public radio from Santa Monica, dies ...
Through the force of Seymour's character and fierce leadership, KCRW grew into a musical tastemaker and conduit for NPR’s growth.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorDecember 22, 2023How a radio reporter let go of his gear envy and guerrilla electronic hacks
Reflections on a career that started with a “poor man’s Nagra” and a nutcracker.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorSeptember 18, 2023Friendships forged on TV cooking sets keep ‘Sara’s Weeknight Meals’ on the air
An expert chef with charisma, a producer who knows how to “corral cats” and an indefatigable marketing pro keep showing TV viewers ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorJune 30, 2023Aileen Alfandary, tenacious ‘force multiplier’ for journalism, retires
As co-director of news at Pacifica's KPFA, Alfandary has endured “utter chaos” at the station while training generations of reporters.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorApril 27, 2023WBGO adds jazz gems to public broadcasting archive
In the process of preserving the station's musical legacy, retired jazz producer Becca Pulliam is rediscovering her own body of work.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorMarch 28, 2023Firesign Theater’s Phil Proctor returns to radio on Pacifica’s KPFK
More than 50 years after "the Beatles of comedy" debuted on the Los Angeles station, Proctor is taking his podcast on the ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorOctober 27, 2022Larry Josephson, pioneering producer and freeform host, dies at 83
“He was the original politically incorrect guy on the radio, and that’s why I loved him,” said former WBAI producer Caryl Ratner ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorJuly 29, 2022Documentary ‘ode’ to Steve Post’s many talents leaves out key verses
“Playing in the FM Band: The Steve Post Story,” a feature-length documentary about a pioneer of freeform radio, zooms in on some odd ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorMarch 16, 2022Neal Conan, journalist who covered wars and anchored live broadcasts for NPR, dies at 71
“Neal did every job you could do in radio," said Robert Siegel, former “All Things Considered” host, of his longtime colleague. "He ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorAugust 10, 2021Radio Diaries, ‘Radiolab’ team up to produce their own documentaries on Black Swan Records
After learning they were separately pursuing stories on the pioneering label and its founder, producers Joe Richman and Jad Abumrad decided to ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorJune 16, 2021Bob Fass, ringleader of long-running countercultural Pacifica show, dies at 87
Fass' "Radio Unnameable" served as a switchboard for social movements of the '60s and featured musical guests that included Joni Mitchell, Taj ...By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorApril 27, 2021How at-home pandemic recordings are changing pubmedia’s standards for audio quality
Reporters and producers have more options for safely recording interviews, but not everyone welcomes the trade-offs in sonic fidelity.By Jon Kalish, Freelance ContributorMarch 25, 2021