Bay Area

What if a bicyclist could turn a traffic light from red to green — just by having the right app in their pocket? Or what if a driverless car could take you to the hospital?

More than two dozen journalists and support staff at the East Bay Times and San Jose Mercury News are out of work this week.

On this week’s Open Air, KALW’s radio magazine for the performing arts in the Bay Area, host David Latulippe meets with virtuoso organist Cameron Carpenter, who performs at SF Jazz’s Miner Auditorium on his digital custom-built International Touring Organ, a one-of-a-kind electronic instrument and elaborate speaker system that brings the pipe organ tradition into the 21st century.

Cameron's interview was edited for inclusion in the full show, above.  Here is the full interview, in 2 parts:

Elected officials throughout the state have made it clear that they do not agree with federal immigration policy.

The tolls for driving on Bay Area bridges could go up by three dollars in the coming years. On Wednesday the Bay Area Toll Authority approved the increase, meaning it will go before Bay Area voters in June.

Max Hsing, a high-schooler from San Francisco, tells the story of an uncle who died of AIDS, and why the song "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen  reminds him to "give love one more chance."

This week on Open Air, host David Latulippe talks with internationally renowned choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa about the West Coast premiere of her transcendent piece ‘Requiem for a Rose’, which is part of Smuin Ballet’s 24th season opener, ‘Dance Series 01’, to be presented at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco September 29-October 7.

In order to fully understand the sound of beat makers today, it’s important to understand their influences.

You know what scratching sounds like, right? It’s the "ziggah ziggah" noise that happens when a DJ moves vinyl records back and forth under the needle.

In the wake of the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and this weekend’s events in the Bay Area, we are having a much-needed conversation about race in this country.

Birgit Soyka stands in a large warehouse amongst 68 bird cages, each holding an exotic bird. The walls are covered in photos of brightly colored parrots, and bird-shaped tchotchkes dot the room. She cradles Boogie, a Congo African gray, and a regular guest at the San Francisco Bird Hotel, a spa and resort for birds.

“Hi Boogie,” Soyka says; the bird coos in response.

Officials in Berkeley and San Francisco are bracing themselves for competing political rallies planned for this weekend.

Since 1991, teen pregnancies have declined by 67% in the United States. However, rates remain higher in the US than in other industrialized nations, and teen pregnancies have significant social and economic repercussions.

People all across the country are getting ready for next week’s solar eclipse, seeking out the best spots to see it, buying their safe viewing glasses, and learning up on what exactly an eclipse is.

This is Audiograph — the Bay Area’s sonic signature. Each week, we’ll play you a sound recorded somewhere in the Bay Area. Your job? Listen to the sound in the player above, figure out where it was recorded and what it is, then call to let us know.

If you think you can identify this Audiograph sound of the week, call 415-264-7106. Also, tell us where to record next. We’ll give away a KALW t-shirt every week to one lucky caller.

This week on Open Air, guest host Judith Seeger talks with Charlotte Moraga, artistic director of the newly formed Chitresh Das Institute, about this weekend’s inaugural season of the institute, featuring the world premiere of ‘The Art of Kathak’, a traditional Kathak solo performance by Charlotte Moraga, accompanied by tabla master Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, who will also join us in the studio.

This week on Open Air, guest host Judith Seeger talks with cellist Tanya Tomkins and pianist Eric Zivian about the upcoming Valley of the Moon Music Festival, of which they are co-founders, and artistic and music directors, respectively. Also joining in the studio is clarinetist Eric Hoeprich - and there will be live music!

These days, it’s known mostly as a techie destination, but the Bay Area has a long history with analog gaming. There are several dozen social board gaming groups in the region.

This is Audiograph — the Bay Area’s sonic signature. Each week, we’ll play you a sound recorded somewhere in the Bay Area. Your job? Listen to the sound in the player above, figure out where it was recorded and what it is, then call to let us know.

If you think you can identify this Audiograph sound of the week, call 415-264-7106. Also, tell us where to record next. We’ll give away a KALW t-shirt every week to one lucky caller.

  This is Audiograph — the Bay Area’s sonic signature. Each week, we’ll play you a sound recorded somewhere in the Bay Area. Your job? Listen to the sound in the player above, figure out where it was recorded and what it is, then call to let us know.

If you think you can identify this Audiograph sound of the week, call 415-264-7106. Also, tell us where to record next. We’ll give away a KALW t-shirt every week to one lucky caller.

All week long, we've been playing this sound and asking you to guess what exactly it is and where exactly in the Bay Area we recorded it.

In the Bay Area, summer weather usually begins in the fall. Why is that? In this short-answer segment, San Francisco State meteorology professor Oswaldo Garcia explains our "peculiar" climate.

This is Audiograph — the Bay Area’s sonic signature. Each week, we’ll play you a sound recorded somewhere in the Bay Area. Your job? Listen to the sound in the player above, figure out where it was recorded and what it is, then call to let us know.

Why do so many Bay Area highways have similar names? We've got Interstate 280, 580, 680 and 880 — what gives? That's the question that listener Jennifer Paulus submitted to Hey Area, KALW's collaborative reporting project. Click the player above for the answer.