Weekly Program Highlights
Friday 4/24
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Science Friday… This week on Science Friday, celebrate Earth week and where we come from in the universe.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Hidden Brain… What's the difference between being loved and feeling loved? This week on Hidden Brain, hear a discussion about the distinction and how we can create a stronger feeling of closeness in our relationships.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Fresh Air… This week on Fresh Air, a look inside Schmigadoon!, which is now on Broadway. It was adapted from the streaming series that lovingly satirized Broadway musicals of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Hear from the co-creator, co-writer, and songwriter of the series, Cinco Paul, who also wrote the book and songs for the Broadway show.
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… Jazz Unbound, part I - The Seed: Jazz stands apart from virtually every other musical tradition. It isn't interpreting someone else's creation — it’s composing in real time, under pressure, in front of an audience. Every performance is genuinely unrepeatable, and it all depends on how the performers wish their musical expressions to be heard and felt. The deepest foundation of jazz music is African musical culture, but the magic of jazz happened when musicians started improvising collectively, swinging the rhythm instead of playing it straight, and making their instruments growl and bend.
Saturday 4/25
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, Tom Papa is in the host chair. He’ll be joined by panelists Josh Gondelman, Shantira Jackson, and newcomer Katie Nolan. In addition, Father James Martin, best-selling author and editor-at-large of America magazine, plays Not My Job.
11:00 – NOON
Radiolab… This week on Radiolab, learn about the screwworm. Seventy years ago, a nightmare parasite feasted on the live flesh of warm-blooded creatures in North America: the screwworm. That is, until a young scientist discovered a crucial screwworm weakness and hatched a sweeping project to wipe them out, becoming one of humanity’s biggest environmental interventions ever.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
American Routes… This week on American Routes, listeners were asked to help pick music and musicians that deal with the troubles we’re facing, adding a few songs and singers that fit the mood as best they could, including the Staple Singers, Allen Toussaint, Woody Guthrie, Toots and the Maytals, Son Volt, Carole King, John Coltrane, Los Super Seven, Dr. John, and Tom Waits.
Sunday 4/26
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Reveal… A weed killer called glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. You might know it by another name: Roundup. Reporter Nate Halverson spent a year investigating why this chemical is being sprayed in record amounts in California’s forests, even though the World Health Organization has designated it a “probable carcinogen,” and even though the science behind Roundup’s safety was manipulated by its maker. This week on Reveal, a look at why California is dousing its forest lands with Roundup.
11:00 – NOON
This American Life… This week on This American Life, a story about the casino game everyone thinks they can beat: blackjack.
NOON – 3:00 PM
Sunday Baroque… This week on Sunday Baroque, hear a terrific new recording of the Harpsichord Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach played by La Petite Bande. The Belgian period instrument group was founded in 1972 and has made more than 100 recordings.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Code Switch & Life Kit… This week on Code Switch, a show about critiques of DEI from both conservatives and progressives. Then on Life Kit, a show about what to do for seasonal allergies.
6:00 – 7:00 PM
The Moth Radio Hour… This week on The Moth Radio Hour, stories of how music moves us: guitar lessons; band geeks; and record deals.
Monday 4/27
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Issues and Ideas… This week on Issues and Ideas, we’ll bring you the third in a series of interviews with candidates for two SLO County Supervisor seats. KCBX News sat down with the incumbent in District 4, Supervisor Jimmy Paulding. And later in the show, we’ll hear from Father Ian Delinger in the latest installment of "Playing with Food." Father Ian takes us to Nosh Paleo Kitchen in Nipomo to explore grain, dairy, sugar and legume-free eating.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
The Splendid Table… This week, The Splendid Table host Francis Lam is joined by Dan Pelosi as they answer questions about home cooking. Pelosi’s latest book is Let's Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day. Then, head deep into the jubilant cuisine of the Caribbean with Rawlston Williams, author of The Caribbean Cookbook.
Tuesday 4/28
1:00 – 2:00 PM
TED Radio Hour… From filing cabinets to floppy disks to the cloud, the way we store our information is always in danger of going obsolete. But there are people who’ve made it their mission to make sure our information, our history, isn’t lost. From storing data on DNA to 3D scans of the planet, TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi explores ideas about archiving, for all eternity.
Wednesday 4/29
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Bioneers… This week on Bioneers, visionary clean energy entrepreneur Danny Kennedy explores the promise and challenges of the epic civilizational transition to renewable energy. Without doubt, things have gotten bad, but will we make the transition in time to avert complete climate breakdown? Danny Kennedy says we can - and the real heroes will be millions of clean energy entrepreneurs and startups, in partnership with the determined leadership of Indigenous peoples arising worldwide.
1:30 – 2:00 PM
California Report Magazine… This week on California Report Magazine, meet a woman who had been living on the streets for decades with untreated mental illness and addiction. Now she’s thriving, thanks to a novel program.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Freakonomics Radio… Why has there been so little progress on Alzheimer’s disease? One possibility is that a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. This week on Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle.
6:30 – 8:00 PM
KCBX in Concert… This week on KCBX in Concert, host Lisa Nauful traces a lyrical path across continents and centuries. From the elegant charm of Antonio Vivaldi’s Bassoon Concerto to the vivid colors of Spain in music by Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albéniz. A sense of song carries through Heitor Villa-Lobos’ haunting Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, alongside the quiet introspection of Frédéric Chopin and the shimmering textures of Claude Debussy. There’s also a rare glimpse of the Nordic night in music by Heino Eller. The evening closes with two beloved works: the serene, soaring lines of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and the easy charm of George Gershwin’s So Am I.
8:00 – 10:00 PM
Classical Showcase… This week on Classical Showcase, host Sal España talks with David Harrington, the artistic director, founder, and violinist of the Kronos Quartet. They chat about the quartet’s 52-year history championing contemporary music, their newest release Glorious Mahalia, and their upcoming UCSB performance premiering their latest multimedia work "Three Bones" exploring the histories of Indigenous, Gullah-Geechee, and Chinese American communities in the United States.
Thursday 4/30
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Latino USA… This week on Latino USA, hear how after a lifetime in the U.S., a Colombian-American journalist decides to move back to Colombia. Through conversations with her dad and her cousin, she wades through the complexities of her decision and reflects on the meaning of home. Also on the show, since the mid-20th century, Puerto Rican Mennonites—known as “Dutchiricans”—have rooted themselves in Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country, blending Mennonite living with Latino identity. Today, they are reclaiming their history by sharing their stories, challenging racial norms, and fostering a more inclusive church community.
Friday 5/1
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… Jazz Unbound, part II - The Crucible: The cultural threads that came together in New Orleans around 1900 to produce something completely new is a one-of-a-kind story in music history. The city blended different cultures, like African, Caribbean, Creole, European, Catholic, blues, and even vaudeville. The port was constantly pumping in Caribbean vibes — especially Cuban habanera rhythms that basically fed straight into what jazz would eventually sound like. Then, the city's red light district created real, paying gigs for musicians.