North Gate Radio

From the Bay to Bogotá, reporters dove deep into how communities are coming together in times of strife. In Oakland, statewide homelessness policy is shaping how advocates are organizing in the face of sweeps. Also, federal funding cuts are coming down hard on an LGBTQ center on the shores of Lake Merritt. A researcher at the California Institute for Integral Studies walks us through a new framework for thinking about neurodiversity. Two reporters traveled abroad to South America to document the legacy of “El Sistema,” which trained generations of Venezuelan musicians. Their reporting took place in Colombia, home to many Venezuelan migrants who have left the country in the wake of political turmoil and upheaval. These pieces were made in collaboration with Royvi Hernandez through Berkeley Journalism’s International Reporting Project.

This is a recording of North Gate Radio that was broadcast live on KALX radio station, 90.7FM.

A full transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/community-resistance-at-home-and-abroad/

It’s pretty stressful out there right now, so this week, our reporters went to find out what people do when they are not spiraling about the current state of affairs. They discovered that they collect cute little figurines in the form of ‘Blind Boxes’, they form new women’s elite rugby teams and they wrestle each other to the sound of jazz music at Oakland’s own Queer Fight Night. In Albany, there is a new mayor who is prioritizing healing on the local level and the non-profit, Meals on Wheels, is fighting to keep funding to provide much-needed food and human connection to seniors.

This is a recording of North Gate Radio that was broadcast live on KALX radio station, 90.7FM.

Aa full transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/community-culture/

From public funding cuts to personal turning points, our reporters look to the margins for stories shaped by policy, protest and resilience. The California State Library is one of many libraries that had their federal funding terminated. Those with reading disabilities are among the most affected. A young artist is challenging the application of euthanasia for those with mental illness and is having dinner with as many strangers as possible before he passes. Women with ADHD who are transitioning into menopause are dealing with amplified ADHD traits. Weekly protests against Elon Musk and the Trump Administration outside Walnut Creek’s Tesla Showroom have grown immensely since February. The Trump Administration has stopped funding for refugee resettlement, leaving those who run resettlement agencies, like Chris George, disheartened.

This is a recording of North Gate Radio that was broadcast live on KALX radio station, 90.7FM.

A full transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/the-edge-stories-from-the-margins-of-policy-protest-and-personal-choices/

If you’ve left home and can’t move back – where is home? What if you can return - but your home, neighborhood, your entire city…was destroyed…then, where is home? What if your home doesn’t resemble the one your parents remember…the language most people speak and the food they eat have changed - are you still home?

On this episode of North Gate Radio, our reporters bring you the stories of musicians who have found the harmony of home - amidst so much change.

Reporters: Negar Ajayebi, Hussain Khan, Aisha Wallace-Palomares

A transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/home-is-where-the-harmony-is/

On this show, three reporters profile boundary breaking artists who call the Bay Area home. These artists refuse to be constricted by what’s trendy. We’ll travel from an intimate backyard concert in Oakland into the vastness of the cosmos with a stop on the way at Live Oak Park in Berkeley to listen to a bird who is also a composer.

A full transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/breaking-musical-boundaries-in-the-bay/

Meet some of the drummers, dancers, rappers and dj’s dedicated to maintaining THE BAY’s cultural heartbeat, no matter the obstacles.

Reporters: Amaray Alvarez, Royvi Hernandez, Audy McAfee

A full transcript for this episode can be found at

https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/bay-area-beats/

There’s been a greater focus in the United States on the importance of mental well-being. 5 reporters for North Gate Radio each tell a story looking at what’s working and what isn’t when it comes to mental health care.

Reporters: NeEddra James (show host/reporter), Robert Seth Strauss, Renée Bartlett-Webber, Jasmine Ascencio, Nicole J Caruth

A full transcript of this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/state-of-mind/

Public transportation across the Bay Area is struggling with perpetually low ridership. 5 reporters for North Gate Radio each tell a story examining how different transportation agencies are trying to fix the problem.

Reporters: Ellie Prickett-Morgan (host/reporter), Julia Mayer, Anna Zou, Lisa Plachy, and Nava Iman Rawls

A full transcript for this episode can be found at https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/show/routes-riders-and-rondo-alla-turca/

Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg discuss the civic courage and compassion it takes to be a whistleblower with Berkeley Journalism Dean Geeta Anand on the 50th anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. They are joined by Robert Rosenthal, who was a clerk for The New York Times when it published these secret documents. Their dynamic discussion focuses on the stress of whistleblowing, the importance of civic duty and the concerns of family life during trying times. An intimate and important discussion about journalism in the modern era.

OnMic Ep22: Fighting the Disinformation Machine Fighting the Disinformation Machine was presented by Cal Performances in partnership with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Dean Geeta Anand and Tristan Harris host a conversation  on the subject of “fact versus fiction,” in particular the growing movement to fight back against the perils  posed to journalism by our current  tech regime.  Recorded on February 10, 2021.