A Letter From Larry Mantle About KPCC's Name Changing To LAist 89.3

KPCC | By Larry Mantle

Published January 31, 2023 02:21 PM

A man with light-tone skin and a button-down shirt and glass rests his arms on a desk in a radio studio where he has papers, multiple screens and a mic with a KPCC 89.3 flag — AirTalk host Larry Mantle, left, and Frank Stoltze, who covers civics and democracy, work together in the AirTalk studio on election night in November.

As our newsroom and our mission continue to evolve and expand to serve Southern California better, so too must our brand. Starting later this month, you’ll begin hearing us call ourselves LAist 89.3.

For the last five years, you’ve heard us refer you to LAist.com, and our reporters refer to themselves as being part of the KPCC and LAist newsroom. But the truth is, this has caused confusion among many of our listeners and supporters — and, if I’m being honest, a little confusion among us as well!

This new unified, cohesive brand will bring together our radio (LAist 89.3), digital news site (LAist.com), and podcasts (LAist Studios) under one name that clearly identifies what we are all about: serving Southern California the news and information that you count on every day.

I want to assure you that all of your favorite shows from KPCC and NPR aren’t going anywhere.

Larry Mantle

A woman with light-toned skin has her arms crossed and is smiling in front of a keyboard and mic — Morning Edition host Susanne Whatley in the studio.

I want to assure you that all of your favorite shows from KPCC and NPR aren’t going anywhere. You’ll still wake up with Susanne Whatley on Morning Edition, spend your mornings with me on AirTalk, and your afternoons with Austin Cross and Nick Roman on All Things Considered. None of your favorite shows, like Fresh Air, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, The Daily, or Marketplace are going anywhere.

A diverse group of people gather around a desk with microphones in a studio. — From left to right: Austin Cross, Rebecca Gutierrez, Julia Paskin, and Shawn Campbell take a break from working in the studio to snap a photo.

The news is evolving every day. Newsrooms across the country are shrinking or shuttering altogether. But the importance of in-depth local news has never been greater. With our new unified brand, you’ll know that our newsroom is here for you on the radio, online, on your phone, and on demand.

We’ll continue to serve you and all of Southern California with stories that go beyond the headlines that help you discover, navigate, connect and make your city a better place to live. We’ll be here, as committed as ever, to spark your curiosity, entertain you and engage you with stories that matter to you. Our coverage will stay intact, stretching from Coachella Valley to Santa Barbara, with statewide, national, and international reporting from NPR and the BBC.

For more than 40 years, I’ve seen KPCC grow and change enormously, providing an essential service to hundreds of thousands of people in Greater LA, Orange County, the Inland Empire, and beyond, thanks to the support of listeners and members like you. I’m grateful you will be with us in this next chapter as LAist. Thank you for being a listener and a reader. And, for those of you who are members, please know that your support is what makes all this possible.