The Inland Empire has joined a growing number of communities around California who now have access to a statewide conversation on public radio called Forum. Now airing on 91.9 KVCR from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, listeners are connected to conversations led by journalists, with experts and newsmakers, addressing issues and topics that are important to California residents. Listener calls and comments are a key part of the show. Born of the successful and long-running, two-hour program of the same name focused on the Bay Area, Forum’s second hour has recently expanded to cover all of the Golden State. Coinciding with the expansion, KQED offered the live show to NPR stations for carriage across California. The Inland Empire’s NPR station launched the live broadcast on Monday, August 3, 2020. KVCR Program Manager Rick Dulock said, “Whenever I visit my sons in San Jose and San Francisco, I always listen to Forum. It is an excellent program and unlike some other call-in shows, the listeners who call are treated like guests. Now that it’s statewide and in our schedule, I couldn’t be happier that KVCR listeners can participate!”
The program is hosted by KQED's Mina Kim. She is committed to providing editorial expertise and curiosity on Forum for listeners on a daily basis, including those in the Inland Empire. In an article by KQED, Kim stated “This is a moment of unprecedented change and people are hungry for meaningful dialogue about these issues. I couldn’t be more excited and honored to help bring Forum to other communities across the state — and to bring in a wider range of voices to these conversations.”
Inland Empire listeners are encouraged to phone in with questions and comments at (866) 733-6786. Forum airs live on 91.9 KVCR every weekday morning at 10:00. It is also available to livestream at KVCRnews.org.