KQED Hires John Sepulvado to Host The California Report

Award-winning reporter and California native returns home to anchor the statewide news and public affairs program on September 2.

KQED Public Radio announces the hiring of reporter John Sepulvado to be the morning host of The California Report, its award-winning statewide news and public affairs program. Sepulvado comes to KQED from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), where he was the local host and executive producer of the flagship NPR weekend news program Weekend Edition. He will make his debut on The California Report on September 2, 2016.

Prior to his work at OPB, Sepulvado served as a producer for America Public Media’s Marketplace Weekend. He also worked as a national correspondent for CNN and as news director at WUSF in Tampa, Florida. Sepulvado has earned prestigious RTDNA Murrow and PRNDI awards for investigative reporting, and helped CNN take home a Peabody Award for coverage of the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

Joining KQED brings Sepulvado back to his deep California roots. He was born in Monterey and lived in Salinas during his early childhood. His family helped settle Monterey and San Benito Counties for the Spanish in the 1700s, and his great-great grandfather was Juan Bautista Alvarado, the last Mexican Governor of California.

"My story and my family's story is impossible anyplace other than California," Sepulvado notes. "California is not just part of my identity, it is the foundation on which my identity has been built. And that's why I am so honored to get the chance to help tell the stories of other Californians and the collective story of the state as host of The California Report."

“John is coming home to California, and we couldn’t be happier to have him back,” says KQED Executive Editor for News Holly Kernan. “He brings so much passion and compassion to his reporting and there are so many great stories to tell about the Golden State. Our team is very much looking forward to working with John."

The California Report airs weekday mornings on KQED 88.5 FM. The program also produces a 30-minute weekly magazine, hosted by Sasha Khokha, which airs on KQED 88.5 FM Friday afternoons. The program is carried by more than 30 public radio stations across California, and many local station reporters are regular contributors to the program. Stories from The California Report can be found online at californiareport.org.

ABOUT KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.