Michael Krasny Celebrates 20 Years as Host of KQED Public Radio’s Forum

Award–winning journalist will be interviewed by Dave Iverson on KQED 88.5 FM on Friday, February 15 at 10am.

San Francisco Mayor Edward Lee declares February 15, 2013, "Michael Krasny Day."

Beloved radio personality Michael Krasny celebrates 20 years as the host of KQED Public Radio’s wildly popular live morning public affairs program Forum on Friday, February 15. Tune in at 10am to  KQED 88.5 FM for a special hour interview of Krasny conducted by Dave Iverson, during whichthe award–winning journalist will discuss his career and share some of his favorite stories from his two decades in the host chair. Listeners will be able to join the conversation by calling in at 866.SF.FORUM (866.733.6786), by emailing forum@kqed.org or via Forum’s popular social media channels (Facebook and Twitter) to share their stories and ask questions. To mark this milestone, San Francisco Mayor Edward Lee has declared February 15, 2013 “Michael Krasny Day.” For more information on Michael Krasny and Forum, please visit kqed.org/forum.

“Michael is a Bay Area treasure,” said Jo Anne Wallace, vice president and general manager of KQED Public Radio. ”Since 1993, Michael Krasny's Forum interviews have set the gold standard for intelligence, depth and listener involvement.”

Krasny, who is also a celebrated author and teacher, added: “The late Dan Schorr said working in public broadcasting was tantamount to finding his way into the Promised Land. On this occasion of 20 years of working in the Promised Land with dedicated people and educating and serving the public, conversing daily with authors, newsmakers, politicians, world leaders, artists, entertainers and scientists, I celebrate the good fortune the years and a wonderful journalistic team have brought.”

Forum is KQED Public Radio’s award-winning live public affairs program, which airs at 9–11 am every weekday on KQED 88.5 FM and has a national audience through Sirius Satellite Radio. One of the Bay Area’s most popular morning radio programs, Forum presents balanced panel discussions of local, state, national and world issues, as well as in-depth, one-on-one interviews with leading figures in politics, science, entertainment and the arts. Listeners can join the conversation with comments and questions by calling in, by visiting Forum’s robust website kqed.org/forum or via Forum’s popular social media channels (Facebook and Twitter).

Forum is hosted by award–winning journalists Michael Krasny and Dave Iverson (on Fridays) and is produced by Judy Campbell and Irene Noguchi. Dan Zoll is the senior editor. Amanda Stupi is the community engagement producer. The executive producer is Raul Ramirez. Jo Anne Wallace is vice president and general manager of KQED Public Radio.

Funding for Forum is provided by members of KQED, The Germanacos Foundation, The Jenerosity Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation and Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.

ABOUT KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program, and as a leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.

ABOUT MICHAEL KRASNY
Michael Krasny, Ph.D., is host of KQED's award-winning Forum, a news and public affairs program that concentrates on the arts, culture, health, business, and technology. Forum is one of KQED's most-popular shows and the nation's most-listened-to locally produced public radio talk show.

Before coming to KQED Public Radio in 1993, Dr. Krasny hosted a night-time talk program for KGO Radio and co-anchored the weekly KGO television show Nightfocus. He hosted Bay TV's Take Issue, a nightly news analysis show, programs for KQED Public Television, KRON television and NPR, and did news commentary for KTVU television. He has also served as host of NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Since 1970, he has been a professor of English at San Francisco State University and has taught at Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco. He is the author of Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest, being published in fall 2010, and "Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life," coauthor of the textbook "Sound Ideas," and creator of the DVD presentation "Masterpieces of Short Fiction." He is a widely published scholar and literary critic, a fiction writer, and a guest and frequent interviewer on the City Arts & Lectures stage. He has worked widely as a facilitator and host in the corporate sector and as moderator for a host of major nonprofit events.

Dr. Krasny has interviewed many of the leading newsmakers and cultural icons of our time, including former President Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chavez, Noam Chomsky, Hilary Rodham Clinton, Francis Ford Coppola, Don DeLillo, Newt Gingrich, Vice President Al Gore, Norman Mailer, Toni Morrison, President Barack Obama, Rosa Parks, Nancy Pelosi, Robert Redford, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, John Updike, and countless others. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including The S.Y. Agnon Gold Medal for Intellectual Distinction, The Eugene Block Award for Human Rights Journalism, The Inclusiveness in Media Award from The National Conference for Community and Justice, and a Koret Foundation Fellowship. He has also been named best talk show host by Focus magazine, a number of Bay Area newspapers, The San Francisco Publicity Club, and Citysearch.

Dr. Krasny received his B.A. (cum laude) and M.A. degrees from Ohio University, where he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and his Ph.D. degree from The University of Wisconsin.