© 2026 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
91.7 FM Bay Area. Celebrating 85 Years of KALW Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Bay Made

PRODUCER SPOTLIGHT: JoAnn Mar / Indochinatown

This week, we are proud to share the documentaries of KALW producer JoAnn Mar. Over the last four decades, many of her radio features have focused on Asian-American culture and history, and have been featured on NPR, Voice of America, and Pacifica Radio.

On today’s show, JoAnn presents one of her earliest programs—“Indochinatown”—from the mid 80s when Southeast Asian refugees first arrived in San Francisco and struggled to make new lives for themselves in the Tenderloin neighborhood.

JoAnn Mar is a veteran radio announcer, producer and host of Folk Music & Beyond, heard every Saturday from 3 to 5 pm. In her spare time, she is a radio documentary producer/journalist. Her news reports and features have aired on NPR, Voice of America, The Charles Osgood File, Pacifica Radio and AARP's series Prime Time Radio. Topics covered include prisons, end-of-life, women's issues, the plight of immigrants and public education.