Alternative Radio

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Story Corps

Sunday mornings at 10:00 am

Hosted by David Barsamian

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One of America's most tireless and wide-ranging investigative journalists, David Barsamian has altered the independent media landscape, both with his weekly radio show Alternative Radio—now in its 32th year—and his books with Noam Chomsky, Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Richard Wolff, Arundhati Roy and Edward Said. His book with Noam Chomsky is Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy. He lectures on world affairs, imperialism, capitalism, propaganda, the media, the economic crisis, and global rebellions.

The Institute for Alternative Journalism named David Barsamian one of its Top Ten Media Heroes. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.

Alternative Radio airs the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th Sunday mornings at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM 104.9 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org / Download the FREE KRCB App @ iTunes & Google Play!

Alternative Radio

April 02, 2021

Frank Smyth: The NRA Unmasked on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Gun violence exacts an enormous toll on U.S. society-claiming tens of thousands of lives every year. Many more thousands are wounded and scarred physically and psychologically. From malls to schools from places of worship to concerts there is no safe space. Weapons of war are easily obtainable. We…

March 26, 2021

Noam Chomsky: Consequences of Capitalism on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The consequences of capitalism during the pandemic have revealed glaring failures and monstrous brutalities. It’s a highly unstable economic system, careening from crisis to crisis. For a handful it produces unparalleled levels of wealth. But for the many, if they even have a job, it’s a pay check…

March 19, 2021

Frank Smyth: The NRA Unmasked on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Gun violence exacts an enormous toll on U.S. society-claiming tens of thousands of lives every year. Many more thousands are wounded and scarred physically and psychologically. From malls to schools from places of worship to concerts there is no safe space. Weapons of war are easily obtainable. We…

March 12, 2021

Ralph Nader Speaks About Corporatism’s Threat to Democracy on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Milton Friedman is the godfather of modern conservative economics. A Nobel-prize winner, his ideas informed what is called the Chicago School. He laid the groundwork for Reagan-era neoliberalism with his landmark essay, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.” That’s…

March 05, 2021

Prabhat Patnaik: From Neoliberalism to Neofascism on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Neo is a Greek prefix meaning new. Fascism of the classic variety is associated with Germany, Italy and Japan. It ends at the conclusion of World War II. But in the recent years there has been the development of a different variety which is neofascism. From Modi’s India to Erdogan’s Turkey…

January 22, 2021

Erica Chenoweth: Civil Resistance in the 21st Century on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The success and failure rates of civil resistance movements might seem like something studied at the U.S. Army War College. But social scientists and political activists always want to know why some tactics work, and some don’t. Boycotts, street protests, armed conflict, nonviolent and…

Jan 15, 2021

David Harvey, Smash the Mirror: Imagining a Different System on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The global health and economic crises are points of opportunity. Arundhati Roy, the great Indian intellectual and writer says, “Whatever it is,…

Jan 08, 2021

Kali Akuno & Richard Wolff: Capitalism, the Pandemic & the Two-Party Monopoly on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The pandemic has revealed a huge systemic failure in the ability of the U.S. to effectively attend to the well-being of millions of its citizens.…

Nov 20, 2020

Chris Hedges: Beyond the Politics of Despair on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Despair. We all experience it. It can lead to demoralization. What’s the antidote? Engagement. Finding kindred spirits and acting collectively.…

Oct 16, 2020

Steven Levitsky: Polarization Can Kill Democracy on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

It’s axiomatic that political discourse in the U.S. is becoming more and more extreme. There’s even talk of a coup. In textbook coups, martial law is…

Sep 25, 2020

Jason Stanley: How Fascism Works in Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

What is fascism? Michael Parenti, author and historian says, “Fascism historically has been used to secure the interests of large capitalist…

Aug 21, 2020

Robin DiAngelo: The Fragility of Whiteness on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The great African American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 classic book, The Souls of Black Folk, wrote, “The problem of the twentieth…

Aug 14, 2020

Stephen Bezruchka: The Human Cancer in the Covid-19 Era on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

A famous Russian revolutionary once said, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” The pandemic certainly…

Aug 07, 2020

Vandana Shiva & David Suzuki: The Pandemic Wake-up Call on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The news about the pandemic goes from bad to worse. The term another grim milestone in the number of infections and deaths has become almost…

Jul 24, 2020

Camara Phyllis Jones: Racism & Health on Alternative Radio - Sunday at 10am

For more than a year the public was complaining about the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. The water was so pungent and foamy that one priest had…

Jul 17, 2020

Robin DiAngelo: The Fragility of Whiteness on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The great African American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 classic book, The Souls of Black Folk, wrote, “The problem of the twentieth…

Jun 26, 2020

Robert Larson Speaks about Technopolies on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The five biggest corporations in the world by market value are Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook. Their head honchos the Zuckerbergs,…

Jun 19, 2020

Surviving the Future with Naomi Klein & Arundhati Roy on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

What will tomorrow bring in the age of COVID-19? There is so much uncertainty. Arundhati Roy sees an opportunity. She writes, “Whatever it is,…

May 15, 2020

Adam Winkler and Corporate Constitutional Rights on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The term corporation is not in the Constitution, yet this entity has emerged over the years as the most dominant force in society. Although never…

Apr 17, 2020

Stephen Kinzer: The CIA Search for Mind Control on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

CIA skullduggery is legendary from overthrowing governments to germ warfare to assassinations, but its MK-Ultra program may be at the top of the…

Mar 06, 2020

It’s Up To You with Jim Hightower on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

From hanging chads in Florida, to purged voter rolls in Ohio to the Iowa caucus debacle, democracy is in trouble. The venerable system is in the ICU.…

Feb 14, 2020

Robert Fisk: Chaos in the Middle East on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 is one of the great crimes in modern history. No one has been held to account. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have…

Jan 24, 2020

Sohaila Abdulali: Taking About Rape on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Rape. From Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to Wall Street financier Jeffrey Epstein to NFL star Antonio Brown, this ancient crime is in the news.…

Jan 17, 2020

Media: Monetizing Anger with Matt Taibbi on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The current period could be dubbed The Age of Anger. To drive ratings up and along with them ad revenue there’s nothing like rage. People go to their…

Oct 18, 2019

Vijay Prashad, History & Politics: Zigs & Zags (Part One) on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

History and politics are replete with zigs and zags into all kinds of unexpected directions. Take, for example, the Shah of Iran. He looked…

Sep 27, 2019

David Harvey: The State/Finance Nexus on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The contemporary capitalist economic system has an extraordinary component to it. That is the connection between the government, and the financial…

Sep 13, 2019

Caroline Frederickson: Fixing Democracy on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Around the world, democracy is in trouble. Autocrats have come to power. In the U.S. democracy is compromised by a political system awash in money,…

Sep 06, 2019

Joe Allen: Pushing Back at Amazon on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Amazon, the retail behemoth, is named after the giant river in South America. The company began in the Seattle area in 1994. Since then it has not…

Aug 30, 2019

Michael Yates: The Working Class on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Warren Buffett, the much-admired genius investor and one of the world’s richest men said, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the…

Aug 23, 2019

Howard Zinn:Second Thoughts on the First Amendment, on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

“Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech.” There it is. Plain and simple. The First Amendment to the Constitution. But since 9/11 that…

Aug 16, 2019

Nancy MacLean: Origins of Radical Right-Wing Power - Alternative Radio, Sunday at 10am

The history of the anti-government and anti-democratic politics that have transformed the U.S. in recent years is largely obscured from view. The…

Aug 09, 2019

Dahr Jamail: Climate Disruption on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Ralph Nader points out the term climate change is a vast understatement and does not convey the gravity of what we are facing. He says, climate…

Aug 02, 2019

Benjamin Hett: How Hitler Happened on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The post-WW1 Weimar Republic in Germany was the height of European civilization. Its scientists and scholars led the world. Its Bauhaus architecture…

Jul 26, 2019

Shoshana Zuboff: Surveillance Capitalism on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Surveillance Capitalism is a global architecture of behavior modification which poses profound threats to society. It was invented at Google,…

Jul 19, 2019

Stephen Bezruchka: Economic Inequality Kills on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

Given that people in the U.S. spend more money on health care than the rest of the world combined, then logic would dictate that we have the best…

Jul 12, 2019

Lawrence Wilkerson: U.S. Empire & Latin America on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The list of U.S. invasions, occupations, coups and sanctions in Latin America is a mile long. It is after all, “our little region over here,” and our…

Jul 05, 2019

Nader Hashemi: The Slide to War with Iran on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The U.S. and Iran are on a collision course. The name-calling and saber rattling are ominous. The New York Times headline reads: “Iran Calls U.S.…

Jun 28, 2019

Ruth Wilson Gilmore: Toward the Abolition of Incarceration on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The U.S. is Number One. America is first in the world in having 2.3 million people behind bars. They are held in state prisons, federal prisons,…

Jun 21, 2019

Paul Street: The Anti-Democratic U.S. Constitution on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

The title of this program may come as a surprise to some. The Constitution is considered by many in the United States as a sacred document. Its…

Jun 07, 2019

Chuck Collins - Inequality: The New Gilded Age on Alternative Radio - Sunday at 10 am

A conversation between Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald reportedly went like this: Fitzgerald says, “The rich are different from you and me.”…

Jun 06, 2019

Chuck Collins - Inequality: The New Gilded Age on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10am

A conversation between Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald reportedly went like this: Fitzgerald says, “The rich are different from you and me.

May 23, 2019

The U.S. & Iran: Four Decades of Hostility w/ Ervand Abrahamian - Alternative Radio, Sunday at 10 am

The danger of war between the U.S. and Iran is increasing. U.S.

May 02, 2019

Wallace Shawn: Artists & Social Responsibility on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Artists, creative people, occupy a special place in our hearts and minds.

Apr 25, 2019

Michael Yates: The Working Class on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Warren Buffett, the much-admired genius investor and one of the world’s richest men said, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the…

Apr 11, 2019

Leilani Farha: The Financialization of Housing on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

From Seattle to Toronto, the cost of owning a home is soaring. Rents are no better.

Apr 04, 2019

Dahr Jamail Discusses Climate Disruption on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Ralph Nader points out the term climate change is a vast understatement and does not convey the gravity of what we are facing.

Mar 28, 2019

Shoshana Zuboff: Surveillance Capitalism on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Surveillance Capitalism is a global architecture of behavior modification which poses profound threats to society.

Mar 21, 2019

Ilan Pappé - Palestine: The Pendulum is Shifting on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

For decades Palestine and Palestinians were associated with terror and terrorism. In political discourse and popular culture Palestinians were often…

Mar 14, 2019

U.S. and Cuba: Back to the Past with Peter Kornbluh on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

The island of Cuba has preoccupied Washington officials for decades. Prior to the 1959 Fidel Castro-led Revolution, Cuba was a virtual U.S.

Mar 07, 2019

Dana Frank, Honduras: Coups, Crises, & Caravans on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world's highest murder rates.

Feb 28, 2019

Sheldon Wolin: Inversion of Totalitarianism on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Traditional totalitarianism conjures images of jack-booted storm troopers, death camps, and Stalin-like regimes.

Feb 21, 2019

David Swanson: The Abolition of War on the Next Alternative Radio - Sunday at 10 am

The famous words: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation,…

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Feb 07, 2019

Malcolm X: The Ballot or the Bullet on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Malcolm X is singular figure in African-American history. He led an extraordinary life.

Jan 31, 2019

Nathan Schneider – Co-ops: Economic Democracy on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

One day, a few years ago, I was walking in San Francisco’s Mission district and looked up and saw a sign that said: “Arizmendi Bakery.

Jan 24, 2019

Author Steve Ellner Talks About The Open Veins of Venezuela on Alternative Radio - Sunday at 10 am

Historically, Venezuela has been an ATM machine for U.S. corporations. Located on the northern coast of South America with a population of 32…

Jan 17, 2019

Remembering the Real Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

In some ways, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered twice. First by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis and then by killing his revolutionary message.

Jan 10, 2019

Lilly Adams & Bruce Amundson: Preventing Nuclear Apocalypse on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

You may know Apocalypse as a Marvel Comics supervillain. It is a word of Greek origin, meaning the catastrophic final destruction of the world.

Jan 03, 2019

Jason Stanley: How Fascism Works on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

What is fascism? Michael Parenti, author and historian says, “Fascism historically has been used to secure the interests of large capitalist…

Dec 27, 2018

Chris Hedges: Root Causes of a Failed System on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

We live in an era of where the 1% is raking it in.

Dec 20, 2018

Michael Pollan Discusses the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

The legalization of marijuana across the U.S. and Canada is making headline news.

Sep 27, 2018

Yanis Varoufakis: How Capitalism Works - Alternative Radio, Sunday at 10 am

The latest phase of Capitalism, neoliberalism, has left a train wreck in its wake.

Sep 07, 2018

Ralph Nader - Citizen Action: It’s Easier than We Think. Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Overcoming adversity alone is a tough road to hoe but when you act with others it’s not as difficult.

Aug 17, 2018

Chris Hedges – Extraction Industries & Sexploitation on the Next Alternative Radio, Sunday at 10 am

The scourge of male violence against women will not end if we dismantle the forces of global capitalism.

Jul 05, 2018

Examining the Impact of Howard Zinn’s View of History on Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

"You wanna read a real history book?" Matt Damon asks Robin Williams in the movie Good Will Hunting.

Jun 15, 2018

Can the Democratic Party Live Up to its Name? Alternative Radio – Sunday at 10 am

Humorist Will Rogers used to quip: "I'm not a member of any organized political party.

Jun 08, 2018

Arun Gupta: Policing, Property & Evangelism on Alternative Radio – Sunday Morning at 10 am

On the next Alternative Radio, Arun Gupta. Large numbers of evangelical Christians in the United States are ardent nationalists and fervent believers…

Jun 01, 2018

Noam Chomsky: There Are Plenty of Opportunities – Alternative Radio, Sunday Morning at 10 am

In the immortal words of Howard Beale, the TV anchor played by Peter Finch, in the classic film Network, “Things are bad, they’re worse than bad.

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