KQED Launches "Love in the Digital Age"

New podcast series features humorous, heart wrenching and it-just-got-complicated first person, mini-documentaries about technology and love.

Love in the Digital Age is a new four-part podcast series from KQED’s statewide radio news program The California Report. Each podcast explores human relationships through the filter of digital media – how technology is changing the way we experience love, friendship, intimacy and connection. Producer and host Rachael Myrow and producer Polly Stryker of KQED Public Radio in San Francisco bring listeners in-depth, first person stories that illuminate how we Love in the Digital Age.

“Love in the Digital Age is not just about online dating,” said Myrow. “Technology has certainly changed romantic relationships, but it’s also reshaped the experience of being a parent, grandparent, child or friend.”

Love in the Digital Age explores the ways technology brings loved ones together, and also how it falls short, according to Stryker, “Today, a person can feel connected to hundreds of people but still be absolutely starved for a pat on the back, a hug or a handshake. Touch is a primal human need, and so is eye contact.”

The first installment of Love in the Digital Age tells the story of Jorge and Magda, a married couple separated by the Mexican border and US immigration policy. They keep their love real by staying in constant touch using technology like FaceTime.

Selected stories from Love in the Digital Age will also air on KQED Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of The California Report’s weekend news magazine. Stories are available as they air at: http://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/arts-and-culture/love-in-the-digital-age. Complete Love in the Digital Age podcasts will be available in the iTunes store beginning Friday, September 4th. KQED podcasts including Love in the Digital Age can be found at: http://www.kqed.org/video-audio/podcasts/

Love in the Digital Age producer Polly Stryker has worked for a variety of news and public affairs programs, including “Health Dialogues” for The California Report on KQED and Forum with Michael Krasny. Before that, she was a producer on AirTalk with Larry Mantle on KPCC Radio, and These Days on KPBS Radio. Polly’s work has won awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association of Northern California, the Society of Professional Journalists (Southern California and Northern California Chapters), the Radio and Television News Association and a Taste Award. She considers herself to be a citizen of the world, having grown up in Cairo before coming to America. Polly speaks Arabic and can say, "I’d like a martini, please" in Swahili.”

Producer and host Rachael Myrow covers politics, economics, technology, food and culture in a vast region extending from Burlingame to Edenvale to Fremont. This follows more than seven years waking at 3am to host the daily version of KQED's The California Report, broadcast on NPR affiliates throughout the state during NPR's Morning Edition. She still guest hosts for The California Report and Forum, blogs for Bay Area Bites, and files for NPR and PRI’s The World. Before KQED, she worked for Marketplace and KPCC in Los Angeles.

Myrow and Stryker are eager to hear from listeners who have heard an interesting story about love and relationships in their community. Story ideas can be emailed to loveinthedigitalage@kqed.org

About The California Report

Distributed by satellite from the KQED Radio studios in San Francisco, The California Report provides daily coverage of issues, trends, and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population. It is carried by 30 public radio stations from Arcata to San Diego. Many local station reporters are regular contributors to the program. The daily morning edition of The California Report, a 7 ½ -minute program, airs on KQED 88.5FM Monday through Friday at 5:51am, 6:51am and 8:51am. The Friday afternoon edition, a half-hour magazine, airs on KQED 88.5FM at 4:30pm, 6:30pm and 11:00pm, and brings you in-depth analysis of the week's top news stories, sound-rich radio excursions and commentaries from voices around the state. Please see The California Report tune in page for information about where and when to tune in to The California Report in your area. Online at: http://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-california-report

About KQED

KQED, the public media organization serving Northern California,  is for everyone who wants to be more. Our television, radio, digital media and educational services change lives for the better and help individuals and communities achieve their full potential. KQED serves the people of Northern California with a community-supported alternative to commercial media. We provide citizens with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; convene community dialogue; bring the arts to everyone; and engage audiences to share their stories. We help students and teachers thrive in 21st century classrooms, and take people of all ages on journeys of exploration—exposing them to new people, places and ideas.