Model and Strategy
KQED is one of the largest and most trusted public media organizations in the United States, serving as a cornerstone of Northern California’s information ecosystem. Its mission is to provide a community-supported alternative to commercial media, empowering residents with accurate, independent journalism; amplifying cultural voices; and fostering civic dialogue. Through television, radio, digital platforms, podcasts, and live events, KQED reaches an estimated 2.5 million Bay Area residents weekly and nearly 40 percent of the regional population each month.
At its core, KQED is a news organization. Nearly 100 reporters cover breaking news, politics, education, housing, climate, and public health. Its editorial strategy emphasizes explanatory reporting and investigations that hold powerful institutions accountable. Alongside news, the organization integrates arts programming, documentaries, and cultural storytelling that deepen understanding of local communities and shared civic identity.
“Public media serves as the antidote to the noise and echo chambers of commercial media, delivering public service journalism that connects residents, amplifies diverse voices and empowers local action. Regional and statewide media networks are critical in this era where the federal government is unreliable or hostile to our regions’ diverse communities.” — Michael Isip, President & CEO
KQED also invests heavily in distribution innovation to reach new audiences and ensure equitable access to information. Its California Newsroom collaboration coordinates 15 public radio stations statewide, producing coverage that reaches “news deserts” and strengthens local journalism. KQED’s own digital app is being reimagined to integrate personalization, audience participation, and bilingual content. The station has also tested new spaces for civic dialogue, such as moderated Discord servers for younger residents.
Education and media literacy are central to KQED. Through KQED Teach and Youth Media Challenges, educators and students gain free tools to evaluate information critically and produce their own journalism. Meanwhile, KQED Live convenes more than 60 public events each year, combining arts, news, and community dialogue.
In an era of disinformation, Al disruption, and collapsing local media, KQED's multi-platform, public-service model ensures that trusted journalism remains a public good-informing, connecting, and empowering the Bay Area and beyond. With federal funding for public media fully eliminated in recent months, KQED is leaning even more deeply into its role as an anchor news media organization in the region and the state to fulfill its unique public mandate to ensure universal access to reliable information and high quality educational and cultural programming.
Impact
KQED measures impact not by audience size alone, but by the tangible ways its journalism strengthens civic life and public accountability. With more than 252,000 members—the largest public media donor base in the nation—our Bay Area community demonstrates how much it values KQED by directly supporting its investigations, cultural storytelling, and education programming.
The newsroom’s award-winning watchdog reporting has driven concrete policy change. After California passed a law requiring disclosure of police misconduct records, KQED sued multiple departments that resisted compliance, ultimately forcing the release of tens of thousands of files. That reporting led to internal reforms and new scrutiny of police accountability practices statewide.
Its coverage of immigration and detention policy has also prompted immediate action. In 2025, KQED broke the story of a proposed ICE detention center at Travis Air Force Base, prompting swift responses from members of Congress. Another investigation uncovered that federal authorities had detained an Ethiopian torture survivor for deportation in violation of refugee protections, spurring advocacy and review by the Department of Homeland Security.
KQED's storytelling also informs and inspires advocates to act. A 2021 feature about Jocelyn Foreman, a grandmother facing foreclosure, inspired public donations that helped her buy her home—and, once seized on by affordable housing advocacy groups—led directly to the creation of California's first-in-the-nation $500 million Foreclosure Intervention Housing Preservation Program.
KQED's explainers and guides, covering topics from wildfire safety to access to state parks, are widely cited by teachers and residents. A 2025 climate series on plug-in solar technology led to more than 250 Bay Area households pre-ordering new systems and drew interest from legislators exploring consumer incentives.
Audience surveys confirm KQED’s influence: 70 percent of Forum listeners say they changed their perspective on an issue after an episode, and 50 percent report taking civic or personal action. By combining accountability journalism, cultural storytelling, and education, KQED continues to strengthen trust, inspire participation, and provide the reliable information democracy requires.
Leadership
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Michael Isip
President and CEO