KCRW

KCRW KCRW, a community service of Santa Monica College, is Southern California's leading NPR affiliate.

KCRW, a community service of Santa Monica College, is Southern California's leading NPR affiliate, featuring an eclectic mix of music, news and arts programming. Broadcasting from Santa Monica, CA at 89.9 FM and online at KCRW.com, the station boasts one of the nation's largest arrays of locally-produced and nationally-distributed content, including Morning Becomes Eclectic, Left, Right & Center, Bookworm, Unfictional and Good Food.

09/04/2026

“The record is not a hit if my hips don’t move.” And the rest is “Hips Don’t Lie” history.

Wyclef Jean joins Sam Sanders in the studio to play the songs that shaped his career and share the stories behind them.

Watch the full episode on YouTube. Link in bio 🔗

KCRW and Focus Features invite you to a special members-first advance screening of "The Uprising."RSVP HERE: https://kcr...
09/02/2026

KCRW and Focus Features invite you to a special members-first advance screening of "The Uprising."

RSVP HERE: https://kcrw.visitlink.me/nKijjK

📅 Wed, Sep 9
⏰ 7:30 PM

📍 The Culver Theater

This is your invite to get LA’d. 📍For nearly 50 years, we’ve been finding the music, food, culture, people and places th...
08/28/2026

This is your invite to get LA’d. 📍

For nearly 50 years, we’ve been finding the music, food, culture, people and places that make Southern California special. Now, we’re putting that trusted taste on the map — quite literally.

Explore LA brings you handpicked recommendations from KCRW DJs, hosts and reporters, all on one interactive map.

🍜 Find food spots worth the trip
🎶 Discover concerts, culture + things to do
📍 Save your favorite places and build your LA bucket list
🎟️ RSVP to KCRW events + enter ticket giveaways
✨ Unlock special KCRW member discounts across the city

Less endless scrolling. More discovering LA.

Update or download the free KCRW app on iOS + Android and start exploring. Link in bio.

08/22/2026

“I have a romance—my drumsticks, myself, and bouncing off things.” 🥁

After a nearly decade-long hiatus, Drum-Off is back! Starting in 1988, it became a launching pad for up-and-coming drummers, giving musicians from across the country a platform to be discovered and show off their skills.

Original reporting + 🎥: daniella lake

Celebrate the 7th annual with a roomy canvas tote & colorful window cling! Get the bundle today with a special discoun...
08/20/2026

Celebrate the 7th annual with a roomy canvas tote & colorful window cling!

Get the bundle today with a special discounted donation of $40: https://kcrw.visitlink.me/02Fur3

Designed by KCRW’s Magnolia Casey ✨

A new DIY youth-fueled backyard music scene has risen from the ashes of the Eaton Fire in the Altadena-Pasadena area. Lo...
08/19/2026

A new DIY youth-fueled backyard music scene has risen from the ashes of the Eaton Fire in the Altadena-Pasadena area. Local music promoter Matt Chait and his colleague Sandra Denver co-founded Backyard Party to give teenage indie and punk bands, as well as aspiring photographers, writers, band roadies, and graphic designers, an all-ages space to play and organize their own gigs.

“If these things didn’t happen the bands wouldn’t have anywhere to play. There wouldn’t be money to pay them,” says Chait. “There’s such an incredible amount of social education that goes on with something as simple as a punk show and we feel that beyond just the stage, we’re really providing a much bigger service.”

Original reporting by Steven Cuevas
📸: Steven Cuevas, Matt Chait (slide 2 + 7)
🎥: Steven Cuevas

Full story at the link in bio 🔗

08/14/2026

Seeing LA, one street at a time. 🚴‍♂️ Marc Papas is biking every public street in LA county — and he’s already 82% of the way there.

Have you spotted him? 👀

Original reporting + 🎥: daniella lake

For many Angelenos the default blueprint for life after high school is clear: go to college, then get a job. But with so...
08/13/2026

For many Angelenos the default blueprint for life after high school is clear: go to college, then get a job. But with soaring tuition, and an uncertain job market related to AI, that calculus isn’t adding up like it used to.

Across the country, enrollment at public two-year colleges that focus on vocational and trade programs is up by 20% since 2020, according to Student Clearing House. From high schools to community colleges to apprenticeships, more people are learning to weld, install electrical equipment, and run x-rays machines.

Original reporting + 📸: Megan Jamerson

Full story at link in bio 🔗

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(424) 538-8635

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