Weekly Program Highlights
Friday 10/23
NOON – 1:00 PM
Fresh Air… This week on Fresh Air, hear from Jimmy Webb, the songwriter behind the songs Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, MacArthur Park, and Galveston. He turned 80 this year and has a new album of previously unreleased songs. The show will revisit a 2004 interview with him.
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Science Friday… This week on Science Friday, a Nobel laureate double header. First, a conversation with CRISPR gene editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna. Then, Kazuo Ishiguro on how novels can help us make sense of changing technology.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… In MAHA-led American food politics, looking natural can matter more than knowing what’s safe.
3:00 – 4:00 PM and 4:30 – 6:30 PM
All Things Considered… Vice President JD Vance is leading an effort to combat wasteful government spending as the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to fight what it calls “waste, fraud, and abuse” ahead of the midterms.
4:00 – 4:30 PM
Marketplace… Explore the business of scam artists, and find out what’s going on when you get a call, or maybe a text, from an unknown overseas number (and, obviously, you don't respond.)
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… The Unusual Suspects: The 1920s jazz scene embraced some incredibly fascinating homemade instruments that added unique textures to the music. The washboard was particularly prominent, and the jug was another. But, there were dozens of other instruments that made what became known as “novelty” music.
Saturday 10/24
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the panelists are Shantira Jackson, Peter Grosz, and Rachel Coster. And, fashion designer Daniel Vosovic plays Not My Job.
11:00 – NOON
Radiolab… This week on Radiolab, consider a string of barbaric crimes by a hated man, and the attorney who, when called to defend him, also wound up defending a core principle of our legal system. When Frank Armani learned his client’s most gruesome secrets, he made a morally startling decision that stunned the world and goes to the heart of what it means to be a defense attorney. How far should lawyers go to provide the best defense to the worst people?
3:00 – 5:00 PM
American Routes… This week on American Routes, look back on Danny Barker’s career, his life with wife and collaborator Blue Lu Barker, and his influence in sustaining culture in the Crescent City. Then, current-day guitar and banjo man Detroit Brooks pays tribute to the Barker legacy with his band, the Syncopated Percolators, live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Sunday 10/25
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Hidden Brain… Millions of us move through our days without getting enough sleep. This week on Hidden Brain, sleep researcher Chris Barnes explains how chronic exhaustion can impair our judgment and make small problems feel like major crises.
11:00 – NOON
This American Life… This week on This American Life, hear stories about people with secret identities. But not all of them chose those identities for themselves.
NOON – 2:00 PM
Sunday Baroque… American conductor Jeffrey Kahane recently founded a new ensemble called Harmonium of Texas, and they gave their first concert only a few weeks ago. Kahane was music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for 20 years, the longest of any music director in the orchestra's history. Hear him leading the group with violinist Hilary Hahn playing music by Johann Sebastian Bach on Sunday Baroque.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the panelists are Shantira Jackson, Peter Grosz, and Rachel Coster. And, fashion designer Daniel Vosovic plays Not My Job.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Latino USA… This week on Latino USA, a special episode from Maria Hinojosa’s hometown of Chicago. Spend time in the city’s South Side, where a growing Haitian community lives in fear, and hear how the end of temporary protected status is impacting Haitian residents. Also, visit an apartment complex that was raided by ICE and federal agents a year ago.
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Reveal… One of the biggest issues in this year’s midterm elections is the elections themselves. This week on Reveal, host Al Letson interviews three influential voices about what it truly means to have free and fair elections. He digs into how one person’s safeguards are another person’s restrictions and explores what might happen if Democrats tip the balance of power in Congress.
6:00 – 7:00 PM
The Moth Radio Hour… This week on The Moth Radio Hour, stories of the most inevitable part of life: death—with a positive twist. Hear stories about opportunities for connection, moments of healing, and unique ways of moving through grief.
Monday 10/26
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Take a look at why Adam Hamilton’s campaign is a bet that Democrats can win back religious voters.
Tuesday 10/27
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Explore why Trump’s recent moves seem to pit the US squarely on the side of Russia rather than Ukraine.
Wednesday 10/28
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Bioneers… This week on Bioneers, hear from Zainab Salbi. She is a humanitarian, author and media host who has dedicated her life to empowering women on the frontlines in conflict zones and climate crisis zones. Her vision is that the fate of humanity depends on elevating feminine leadership that offers a model for a new way of being – for both women and men.
1:30 – 2:00 PM
California Report Magazine… This week on the California Report Magazine, get the information you need about the coming election. And, crash a retro computer party to hear why Californians are reviving a Y2K social trend.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Find out why the right’s efforts to rehabilitate Richard Nixon have more to do with Trump than with “Tricky Dick.”
6:30 – 8:00 PM
KCBX in Concert… This week on KCBX in Concert, host Lisa Nauful, opens the program with a spellbinding collection of Halloween favorites by Grieg, Chopin, Dukas, Mussorgsky, and Dvořák. The second half of the show shines a spotlight on local artistry, featuring violinist Kathleen Lenski’s Grammy Award–winning recording of Haydn’s Emperor String Quartet, KCBX in Concert co-host Craig Russell’s Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra, and Bach’s Trio Sonata in G Major for two flutes and continuo as captured in a recent Festival Mozaic performance.
Thursday 10/29
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Central Coast Voices… CenCal Health, which serves more than 220,000 Medi-Cal members in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, recently launched Central Coast Coverage. It’s a member navigation hub that assists members in staying insured while facing changes to healthcare policy nationwide. Hear from Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, and Dr. Lisa Brabo, who join host Lata Murti to discuss this new and important online resource.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… A Democrat has a shot at beating a Republican in the race for Senate in Texas. Take a look at why this is a cue for an old playbook, with a 2026 twist.