This year, KCSM is proud to partner with NorCal MLK 2026 Music and the Movement. The MLK2026 Celebration Program will feature a celebration of music and the civil rights and social justice movements. We will celebrate the 60th anniversary of KCSM Radio, with a documentary screening and a historic conversation with KCSM media personalities, Clifford Brown, Jr., Jesse 'Chuy' Varela, Dr. Robert A. Franklin, Miranda Wilson, and award-winning music artist Tiffany Austin. For more information: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2026/the-mlk2026-celebration-program-music-and-the-movement/

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Dan Odum this past December 2025. Everyone, from students to colleagues who have passed through the doors of KCSM owes a debt of gratitude to Dan, it is because of his vision and efforts as an radio instructor that so many got their start in radio and helped shape KCSM for the future. (click story headline for more)

Hundreds of listeners gathered last week to start their holiday celebrations and the festive season with KCSM. It was an evening of good friends, good food and great live jazz! A Special thank you to everyone who brought a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots toy drive. Lots of local kids will have a happier holiday because of your generosity. (click story headline for more photo)

Guitarist, bandleader, swing dancer, and occasional lawyer, Jonathan Stout loves swing music and diving into the specifics of what makes that music so appealing. Plenty of doctors, lawyers and those in other fields play music on the side, but Jonathan is the first virtuosic musician I’ve met who does a bit of lawyering on the side. We talk discuss all this, Jonathan’s latest CD, the enduring appeal of this engaging musical style.

Pianist, guitarist and educator Ariel Kasler is a driving force behind the resurgence of jazz and classical music in Northwest Ohio in both his position as the pianist for the Toledo Jazz Orchestra and as the Artistic Director of the Orchard Guitar Festival. As the leader of his own quartet, he performs original jazz compositions and arrangements influenced by Middle Eastern, Jewish, and Israeli music as evidenced on 2015’s Above the Sound, the 2022 release Make it Bloom and on this March 23rd, 2025 performance. Featuring Andrew Bishop on Saxophones, Jeff Halsey on Bass, Olman Piedra on Drums and Ariel Kasler on Guitar and Piano, Daniel Peck is your host for the Ariel Kasler Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop

Jazz House Kids is shaping the next generation of jazz greats. Guest host Michel Martin shares the story of this Montclair organization and its students who've gone from classroom to world stage, featuring Matthew Whitaker, Isaiah J. Thompson, and more.

Charlie Parker: Ornithology / The Savoy & Dial Masters 1945-1948, Part 2. Featuring the alto saxophone giant on some of the greatest jazz recordings ever made. With the likes of Miles Davis, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, and more.

This episode includes selections from the Saint Luke COGIC Choir, Gospel Commanders, Katherine Hayes Singers, Rev. Evangelist Malcolm Simmons, Spiritualaires of Columbia SC (pictured), Utica Institute Jubilee Singers, and others.

Stan Bunger is a Bay Area Radio Hall of Famer, the former morning voice of KCBS, and the author of “Mornings With Madden.” Host Scott Piehler talks with Stan about his Bay Area upbringing, his journey in radio, and what it was like to spend part of every working morning with the legendary John Madden, getting to know a side of the man that the rest of the country never experienced.

Remembering the late, Togo Dennis West Jr., former Secretary of the United States Army. Mr. West was an attorney and Army officer who served as the third Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the administration of President Bill Clinton from 1998 until his resignation in 2000. West was the second African American to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. After completing law school, West entered the United States Army.He was in the Army Field Artillery Corps from 1965 to 1968, then attended JAG School at the University of Virginia and served as an Army lawyer from 1969 to 1973.West earned the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Magic & Poetry. Poet Jacqueline Suskin delves into her career journey and the revelation of poetry’s potency. She stresses heeding creative instincts and embracing life’s current. Discussing creativity’s magical essence, she unveils ways to nurture it indaily routines and offers burnout coping advice. Highlighting poetry’s relevance today, she shares a poignant poem, urging attention to Earth’s guidance. Jacqueline previews upcoming projects and even shares a beloved song.