Benjamin Purper
News Director 2021-2023Benjamin Purper was News Director of KCBX from May of 2021 to September of 2023. He came from California’s Inland Empire, where he spent three years as a reporter and Morning Edition host at KVCR in San Bernardino. Dozens of his stories have aired on KQED’s California Report, and his work has broadcast on NPR's news magazines, as well. In addition to radio, Ben has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer.
He attended the University of Redlands, where he studied International Relations with minors in Instrumental Performance and Latin American Studies, and studied abroad in Mexico and Argentina.
Benjamin's journalism career started in college, when his university’s newspaper was abruptly shut down and defunded. He and the newspaper staff raised money and started a new, independent online newspaper, of which he became Editor-in-Chief for two years. After college, he completed an internship with NPR in their Culver City office, then worked as both a newspaper and public radio reporter.
Besides public radio, Benjamin enjoys music (he plays bass), writing and traveling.
You can reach the news department by email at news@kcbx.org.
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Take a walk around the downtowns of San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara, and you may notice how much electric vehicles have gone mainstream. The state is now shifting its rebate programs to make these vehicles more affordable for lower-income Californians. -
The cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe have the highest percentage of Latino residents in Santa Barbara County. They also have the lowest voter turnout numbers in the county. KCBX's Gabriela Fernandez looks into the factors keeping many North County residents from engaging with the political process, and some possible solutions. -
As of today, the city of San Luis Obispo has closed the parking lot on Palm and Nipomo Streets downtown. They'll demolish the lot to make way for the new five-level Cultural Arts District Parking Structure set to open in late 2025. -
Santa Barbara County is sometimes called a “land of extremes.” That’s especially true of the divide between the majority-Latino agricultural communities of North County and the majority-white, highly educated areas of South County. -
Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal has introduced a bill addressing childcare affordability. Called the Child Care Investment Act, it would extend existing tax credits and write-offs for childcare expenses, allow businesses to create new childcare options and more. -
Toxic chemicals have been leaking into the groundwater under and around the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport for about five decades. It’s not the only airport in the state dealing with this contamination, but it is the first to address the problem with a formal plan. -
The City of Paso Robles announced today that Mayor Steve Martin has died after a “hard-fought illness.” -
Tonight, KCBX in Concert will air the world premiere of “The Ballad of Panwalla,” a radio play by Arroyo Grande composer Garry Eister. It’s the story of a treasure-seeking cowboy presented in the style of a melodrama. -
New reporting from CalMatters looks into rent hikes across California. Some formerly “affordable” areas like the Central Valley are starting to see housing costs look more like the state’s major metropolitan areas. It’s happening on the Central Coast too, as the previously more affordable cities here, like Santa Maria and Salinas, are starting to be more like San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara. -
San Luis Obispo County will operate under a nearly 1-billion-dollar budget this fiscal year. The Board of Supervisors passed it 4-1 last month with Supervisor Debbie Arnold dissenting.
