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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
Affordable Housing
Housing Crisis
Golden Gate Park

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 weeklyEpisodes550Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Places & TravelHistorySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Bay Curious

Latest Episodes

Designed by Central Park architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery serves as both a tranquil public park for living visitors and a final resting place for over 200,000 souls. Was it meant to be used in such a way? Katherine Mo... more

The Condor Club has been a fixture of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood for more than 60 years. It's also where Carol Doda first performed topless, ushering in a new era of entertainment in the city's bars. It still features topless dancers to... more

The Bay Area has long been associated with countercultural movements — whether it was the Beats of the 1950s, the hippies of the 1960s or the Black Panthers of the 1970s. But often overlooked in that long tradition of local subcultures is the emergen... more

The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, requires state and local agencies to consider the environmental impact of public and private projects. Prop 45 on the 2026 California ballot would change CEQA by speeding up environmental reviews for... more

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Recent Guests

Blanche Barton
Church of Satan leader and author of books about the church and Anton LaVey
Church of Satan
Episode: How the Church of Satan Was Born in San Francisco
Laura Klivans
KQED climate reporter
KQED
Episode: Prop 45: Faster Environmental Reviews for Certain Projects
Lesley McClurg
KQED Health Correspondent
KQED
Episode: Prop 44: Health Clinic Spending Requirements
Guy Marzorati
KQED politics and government correspondent
KQED
Episode: Prop 43: Special Tax Voter Threshold
Josh Rau
Stanford University Finance Professor and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Stanford University/Hoover Institution
Episode: Prop 42: Bans New State Taxes on Investments and Personal Property
Marisa Lagos
KQED political correspondent and co-host of Political Breakdown
KQED
Episode: Prop 42: Bans New State Taxes on Investments and Personal Property
Izzy Bloom
Reporter from KQED Politics Desk
KQED
Episode: Prop 39: Requires Voters Show ID to Cast A Ballot
April Dembosky
KQED health correspondent
KQED
Episode: Prop 38: Immunology Research Bond
Adhiti Bandlamudi
KQED housing reporter
KQED
Episode: Prop 37: Creates Middle-Income Homebuyer Program

Host

Olivia Allen-Price
Host of Bay Curious

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 1.3k ratings
  • Love this show

    I look forward to each installment and have listened to it since it started. Such interesting stories about the fabulous Bay Area!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dembelkee
    United States3 months ago
  • 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 States5 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 States5 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 States5 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 States6 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.

Prop 41: Requires Audits of New Special Taxes
Q: If Prop 40 and 41 were both to pass, how does that play out?
Lagos explains that the measure receiving more votes could prevail where their provisions conflict. She expects court challenges regardless of whether the measures pass individually.
Prop 41: Requires Audits of New Special Taxes
Q: Who put this on the ballot and why?
Lagos says Proposition 41 was placed on the ballot by billionaires opposing Proposition 40. Its provisions were crafted to undercut the billionaire tax proposal.
Prop 38: Immunology Research Bond
Q: So who's coming out against Prop 38, and what is their argument?
Opponents say the measure directs too much funding to a new institute without an established track record, limits competition among research centers, excludes other health priorities and is unlikely to pay for itself.
Prop 38: Immunology Research Bond
Q: April, first of all, what is Prop 38 all about?
It would authorize $8.4 billion in state borrowing for immunology and immunotherapy research, with estimated repayments totaling about $12 billion over time.
How the Church of Satan Was Born in San Francisco
Q: What was it like to live in the Black House with the so-called Black Pope himself?
Blanche Barton describes a nocturnal household where she and LaVey spent time meeting people, playing music, talking and watching movies.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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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

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How many listeners does Bay Curious get?

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How many subscribers and views does Bay Curious have?

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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 550 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?

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What guests have appeared on Bay Curious?

Recent guests on Bay Curious include:

1. Blanche Barton
2. Laura Klivans
3. Lesley McClurg
4. Guy Marzorati
5. Josh Rau
6. Marisa Lagos
7. Izzy Bloom
8. April Dembosky

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.

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