Rephonic
Artwork for Bay Curious

Bay Curious

KQED
San Francisco
California
KQED
San Francisco Bay
Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
Oakland
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Climate Change
World War II
BART
Proposition 2
Alameda
Presidio
Sex Work
Gold Rush
Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs
Housing Crisis
Golden Gate Park
Port Costa

Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the San Francisco Bay Area – from the debate over "Frisco", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life, or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understandin... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes530Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Places & TravelHistorySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Bay Curious

Latest Episodes

Just off San Pablo Point, near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, there's a tiny spec of an island with a beautiful Victorian-era building on it. East Brother Light Station has been there since 1874, its light beaming out to warn boats away from unexpec... more

Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom went on a lot of walks during the coronavirus pandemic. While hiking in the Oakland and Berkeley hills, she noticed that wildlife had come back to the golf courses located in East Bay parks. But once shelter-in-place ... more

Many Bay Area cities from Oakland to San Francisco have contracts with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that offers license plate readers that yield far more data than an average speed camera. Many citizens and privacy activists are concerned tha... more

In the heart of San Francisco, near the Castro Theater and Corona Heights, there's a rock wall with a striking appearance. Listener Ravi Bhoraskar stumbled on it and wondered why the rock has a shiny, almost wet-looking appearance. And as a new conve... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Lily Okots
President of the Harding Park Women's Golf Club
Harding Park Women's Golf Club
Episode: Why So Many Golf Courses in Public Parks?
Richard Harris
Representative, San Francisco Public Golf Alliance
San Francisco Public Golf Alliance
Episode: Why So Many Golf Courses in Public Parks?
Max Corton
Acting General Manager, East Bay Regional Parks District
East Bay Regional Parks District
Episode: Why So Many Golf Courses in Public Parks?
Rosalind Romero
Reporter for The Oakland Side
The Oakland Side
Episode: Why Flock License Plate Readers Are So Controversial
Riley Cook
City Hall reporter
Palo Alto Weekly
Episode: Why Flock License Plate Readers Are So Controversial
Max Stewart
Owner of Sano Adventures, climbing guide
Sano Adventures
Episode: Belay On! Outdoor Rock Climbing in San Francisco
John Sherman
Early climbing innovator, Berkeley/Indian Rock history figure
Independent climber, Berkeley history figure
Episode: Belay On! Outdoor Rock Climbing in San Francisco
Jordan Schultz
Climber
UC Berkeley (student/climber)
Episode: Belay On! Outdoor Rock Climbing in San Francisco
Francesca Fenzi
KQED reporter
KQED
Episode: Belay On! Outdoor Rock Climbing in San Francisco

Host

Olivia Allen-Price
Host of Bay Curious

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 1.3k ratings
  • So interesting!

    Look forward to this show every week! Keep teaching me things about the place I love to call home!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    EZMC213
    United States3 months ago
  • What’s not to love?

    As a Bay Area native who now lives outside of California, I love listening to Bay Curious for its creative storytelling and robust history that keeps me connected to the Bay. Keep up the outstanding work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BayAreaOkie
    United States3 months ago
  • Disappointing

    I've tried for some time to find the value in this podcast. I'm very interested in the subject as a local historian. However the use of journalists to summarize academic or learned perspectives is rarely a good idea, especially here. The journalists get things wrong, draw strange conclusions to fill in blanks and ignore nuance. And of course the voice affectations and intent to keep an honest tone (rather than focus on the content, getting it right and presenting something for the listener to co... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Stay Fat
    United States3 months ago
  • Drawbridges of Alameda

    I’m a huge fan of Bay Curious for several years now. The episode on the drawbridges of Alameda was unexpectedly… lovely.

    Thank you !

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MessyEm
    United States4 months ago
  • A gem!

    I love this gem of a podcast! It is charming and interesting and a perfect little snack.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    DrayaCarp
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many appreciate the mix of historical context with fresh reporting.
Listeners praise the local-focus and storytelling quality.
Positive feedback often mentions accessibility and community feel.
Fans highlight the show's ability to surface lesser-known Bay Area stories.
Some critiques note variable pacing or editorial style across episodes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Belay On! Outdoor Rock Climbing in San Francisco
Q: What is the rock at Beaver Street like to climb compared to gym walls?
It's different because there are no predetermined holds; climbers create their own routes, which makes it a freer, more creative form of climbing, though still guided by safety setups similar to gyms when appropriate.
Welcome to Anchorage 9: Where Ships Park
Q: What makes this area tricky for mariners to navigate and manage?
The bay's complexity comes from a mix of offshore, bay, estuary, and delta waters, varied depths, narrow channels, fog, and heavy traffic, requiring a large monitoring area and specialized pilots to ensure safe movement.
Welcome to Anchorage 9: Where Ships Park
Q: How does the parking and docking system actually work, and who decides where ships go?
The bar pilots act as expert local valets who know each ship's destination, draft, and timing, coordinating with VTS to allocate specific anchorages and manage the sequence of arrivals and departures across the bay.
Welcome to Anchorage 9: Where Ships Park
Q: Tell me about some of the most prominent anchorages we might see from shore?
Anchorage 5 south of the Richmond Bridge hosts tugboats and serves as a staging area near oil terminals; Anchorage 7 west of Treasure Island is highly visible and sensitive to winds and currents; Anchorage 9 is the major parking lot where large ships wait to birth, repair, or refuel, with 24 anchor buckets in total.
Secrets of Golden Gate Park
Q: What sparked the initial interest in Golden Gate Park's design and purpose?
The hosts explore the park's origins from sand dunes to a public urban green space, highlighting Olmsted's initial skepticism and Hammond Hall's practical, wind-conscious planning.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Bay Curious

What is Bay Curious about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Bay Curious delivers compact, story-driven explorations of the San Francisco Bay Area, blending history, culture, and infrastructure with on-the-ground reporting. Episodes span urban legends, public works, Indigenous histories, transportation networks, and local subcultures, often anchored by questions from listeners. A notable strength is the show's ability to connect niche Bay Area topics—like beaver-street climbing history, ferries, or public art—to broader themes such as community memory, design, and regional identity, all through a consistently accessible storytelling voice and expert guests. The format tends to favor exploratory journalism that educates while celebrating local curiosity, making it appealing to listeners who want bite-... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Bay Curious?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Bay Curious. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Bay Curious and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Bay Curious get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Bay Curious, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Bay Curious?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Bay Curious, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Bay Curious have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Bay Curious has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Bay Curious?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Bay Curious:

1. The Bay
2. East Bay Yesterday
3. KQED's The California Report
4. KQED's Forum
5. Political Breakdown

How many episodes of Bay Curious are there?

Bay Curious launched 10 years ago and published 530 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Bay Curious?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Bay Curious?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Bay Curious from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Bay Curious?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Bay Curious. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Bay Curious?

Recent guests on Bay Curious include:

1. Lily Okots
2. Richard Harris
3. Max Corton
4. Rosalind Romero
5. Riley Cook
6. Max Stewart
7. John Sherman
8. Jordan Schultz

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days