KQED's Forum
KQED
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints.Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love to hear from you! Please dial 866.SF.FORUM or (866) 733-6786 or email forum@kqed.org, tweet, or post on Facebook.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 19, 2026 • 55min
Do You Love Nintendo?
Keza MacDonald, veteran video games editor and author of Super Nintendo, reflects on Nintendo’s design philosophy and cultural reach. Joshua Bote, Pokémon fan and collector, shares how Pokémon shaped social play. They discuss Nintendo’s curiosity-driven design, intergenerational appeal, Pokémon’s social mechanics, retro nostalgia, and the company’s influence on gaming culture.
Feb 19, 2026 • 55min
Documentary Filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir on Seeking Justice Through ‘The Perfect Neighbor’
Geeta Gandbhir, an Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker known for immersive social-justice work. She discusses using bodycam and doorbell footage to reconstruct a neighborhood tragedy. Conversations cover surveillance’s double edge, editing evidence into an immersive narrative, and alternatives to policing in community conflicts.
Feb 18, 2026 • 55min
Concerns Build for Election Interference in Midterms
Natalie Adona, Marin County registrar of voters who runs local ballot operations; Wendy Weiser, democracy expert from the Brennan Center; and David Graham, political reporter at The Atlantic. They discuss risks of attempts to subvert the midterms, how ballot processing and observer rules work, threats and harassment of election workers, legal limits on federal seizure of ballots, and steps officials take to protect voting.
Feb 18, 2026 • 55min
BART Proposes Station Closures and Fare Hikes to Deal with Massive Budget Shortfall
Jesse Arreguin, California state senator pushing a regional sales tax and emergency funding, and Robert Powers, BART general manager guiding operations through post-pandemic recovery. They discuss BART’s $376M shortfall, the prospect of closing many stations and raising fares, and the ballot measure, funding options, and operational changes under consideration.
Feb 17, 2026 • 55min
Inside Animal Testing Labs With Larry Carbone
Larry Carbone, a veterinarian and longtime lab-animal welfare expert, offers a concise, humane perspective on research practices. He discusses transparency limits in labs, legal exclusions that leave most lab animals unprotected, the role of alternatives like organ-on-chip and AI, and practical reforms for adoption, accreditation, and clearer public reporting.
Feb 17, 2026 • 55min
How ‘Tiny Gardens Everywhere’ Can Sustain Us
Kate Brown, MIT environmental historian and author of Tiny Gardens Everywhere, explores the global history of small urban gardens and their role in city resilience. She discusses school food forests, household plots versus urban farms, enclosure and labor shifts, Soviet allotments, reclaiming public land for curbside growing, and gardens as community-builders and cultural bridges.
11 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 55min
Conservative Media's Expanding Influence
Jeremy Barr, media and power reporter at The Guardian, and Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, discuss billionaire influence reshaping newsrooms. They explore ownership-driven layoffs, ideological installs at major outlets, comparisons to international media capture, and threats from declining tech funding and AI.
12 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 55min
It's Elon Musk's World. We're Just Living In It.
Nitasha Tiku, a tech culture reporter who covers AI and platform safety, and Ryan Mac, a tech accountability reporter and co-author investigating Elon Musk’s corporate moves. They unpack Musk folding xAI into SpaceX, space-based data center plans, political influence bought with wealth, regulatory pushback, cultural harm from product choices like Grok, and the risks of concentrated power in one person.
Feb 13, 2026 • 55min
Looking for a Valentine? You May Need Better Dating Skills
Daniel Yi, co-host of I Hate Dating Apps, brings commentary on app culture. Myesha Battle, sex and dating coach and podcaster, offers practical dating coaching. They dig into why flirting and small talk feel lost. They discuss how apps reward engagement over connection. Conversation covers safety, regional dating norms, and simple ways to improve first-date follow-ups.
Feb 12, 2026 • 55min
Kaiser Permanente Strike Enters Third Week as Talks Stall
Carrie Esqueda, a patient affected by canceled surgery; Dr. Robert Pearl, former Permanente Medical Group CEO and Stanford lecturer; John Logan, director of labor studies; and Farida Jhabvala Romero, labor reporter, discuss the strike’s causes. They cover staffing, pay and bargaining breakdowns. Conversations also touch on Kaiser’s finances, reserve explanations, on-the-ground picket realities, and implications for patient care.
