Eli Wirtschafter
Managing DirectorEli is a key member of KALW’s senior leadership team, managing our day-to-day operations so that KALW can deliver high-quality journalism, storytelling, and public service at scale. Eli is a proud graduate of Berkeley High School, UC Berkeley, and most importantly, KALW’s Audio Academy. He served as the director of our Uncuffed prison radio training program from 2019 to 2025, overseeing the launch of the Uncuffed podcast, the Uncuffed Playlist DJ program, our expansion to the California Institution for Women, and our investment in formerly incarcerated leadership.
Eli lived in the East Bay for 22 years, where he performed with groups such as Shotgun Players, worked with KQED and the Awesöme Orchestra Collective, and served on the board of the Freight & Salvage. Eli is now based in Los Angeles, where he is also a musician, songwriter, and papa.
-
Audio is a uniquely powerful medium for encountering stories from inside prison, and a uniquely powerful medium for creating social change. -
This past spring, Alma Vasquez Garcia and her son Angel were killed by a car while crossing the street in East Oakland. Family Laundry honored the victims… -
Dameion Brown thought his theater career was over when he left prison. But three years later, he still performs with Marin Shakespeare Company, the group… -
Tomorrow night, the Warriors will play their last game in Oakland. When the team leaves the Coliseum, they’ll leave behind a stadium that’s ideal for… -
On April 13, a Mercedes slammed into a family crossing the street in East Oakland. A 6-year-old and his mother were both killed. Another family member was… -
Every day, the Dumbarton Bridge is choked with tech workers commuting from the East Bay to Silicon Valley. Next to the bridge is a rail line that’s been… -
Taxis are notorious for driving past black travelers. Uber and Lyft have helped to level the playing field, but black riders are still more likely to have… -
San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center is six months old. The huge bus station, and planned high speed rail station, opened to a lot of fanfare. And… -
Hundreds of San Francisco taxi drivers are in debt after paying $250,000 for medallions, licenses to drive in the city. The city’s plan to help that group… -
22-year-old Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer ten years ago this month. His death led to calls for reform of BART’s police department. Ten…
