From 2016 to 2020, I was the main producer and reporter for Bay Curious, an explainer show that answers listener questions about the Bay Area.
Bay Curious had a regular stream of queries from listeners, who often asked about history and culture, but sometimes there were surges. In 2017, when we asked for questions on homelessness, we received over 1,300 submissions, which we did our best to organize and answer.
I enjoyed reporting out stories on some of the biggest issues affecting people in the Bay Area, like housing and wildfires. It was also fulfilling to work on a series that explained all the California ballot propositions. And Bay Curious had plenty of space for playfulness: I had fun answering questions like how to make friends and the history of public nudity in San Francisco.
In addition to the podcast and radio segment, Bay Curious offered a variety of web content in the form of articles, newsletters and videos. My web story explaining the glass grids in the sidewalk received over half a million views. And I reported out a handful of videos including what it would take to make Oakland’s Lake Merritt Swimmable, a story on one of the few Ghost Towns in the Bay Area and a trip to the top of San Francisco’s Sutro Tower (above).
Below are a few more stories from the show.
Nearly 60 years ago, the region came together to save the San Francisco Bay. Could a similar regional approach solve the housing crisis?
The poppy became California's state flower in 1903, but it had many uses before the state of California even existed. Fun facts and myths abound in this episode of Bay Curious.
After patients were released from mental hospitals, there wasn't always a place for them to go. We explore if deinstitutionalization was a factor in the Bay Area's homeless crisis.