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Press Play with Madeleine Brand

KCRW
Los Angeles
California
Trump Administration
ICE
Donald Trump
KCRW
Gavin Newsom
ICE Raids
Wildfires
Climate Change
Netflix
Gaza
Jeffrey Epstein
Artificial Intelligence
Israel
Supreme Court
Stranger Things
Medicaid
LAPD
Public Broadcasting

Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.

PublishesDailyEpisodes1104Founded12 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
News

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Artwork for Press Play

Latest Episodes

Plus, a far-right, Trump-loving lawyer who calls himself “El Tigre” promises to eradicate Colombia’s drug cartels. We’ll have your weekend movie reviews, and Evan Kleiman brings us a peculiar French dessert.

Plus, recapping the statewide races, how last year’s fires affected people on the streets, and we’ll meet a man who worked with the homeless who became homeless himself after the Eaton Fire.

Plus, a two-year analysis of Gov. Newsom’s signature homeless policy reveals a deeply flawed program, how AI can detect cancer in mammograms, and ‘90s cult fave Koo Koo Roo promised to return, but so far, nary a squawk.

Plus, the fight for California governor comes down to the wire, a judge orders President Trump to take his name off the Kennedy Center, and Noah Kahan’s new album tackles mental health, success, and celebrity.

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Recent Guests

Graham Kay
Comedian and autism advocate, star of Pete and Me
Comedian, Pete and Me
Episode: Political outsider Adam Miller promises more cops, fewer homeless in LA
Dr. Michael Wilkes
Professor of Global Health, UC Davis; host of Second Opinion on KCRW
UC Davis
Episode: Political outsider Adam Miller promises more cops, fewer homeless in LA
Adam Miller
Founder of Cornerstone On Demand and housing nonprofit Better Angels
Cornerstone On Demand / Better Angels
Episode: Political outsider Adam Miller promises more cops, fewer homeless in LA
Adam Nagourney
Classical music reporter for The New York Times
The New York Times
Episode: Nithya Raman tries to forge a third way for LA between Bass, Pratt
Tim Grierson
Senior US critic for Screen International; Cannes prognosticator
Screen International
Episode: Nithya Raman tries to forge a third way for LA between Bass, Pratt
Katie Walsh
Film critic for Tribune News Service (LA Times)
Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Episode: How Monterey Park banned AI data centers
Sean Edwards
Film critic for Fox 4 News (Kansas City) and co-founder of African American Film Critics Association
Fox 4 News; African American Film Critics Association
Episode: How Monterey Park banned AI data centers
John Lee Anderson
New Yorker staff writer and biographer of Che, A Revolutionary Life
The New Yorker
Episode: How Monterey Park banned AI data centers
Brian Merchant
Tech journalist and author of Blood in the Machine
No Data Center Monterey Park / journalist
Episode: How Monterey Park banned AI data centers

Host

Madeleine Brand
Host of Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 192 ratings
  • Taylor Lorenz??? REALLY?

    I’m sorry, but having on Taylor Lorenz—a known liar and hack—who has turned chicanery and gaslighting into an (albeit bumpy) career path has destroyed my respect for this show. Listening to her try to gaslight and shame us into denying our own critical thinking skills is audience abuse and I won’t take it. I’m so sick of being spoken down to by professional trolls like Taylor. Respect your audience and their intellect.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Xoxo79
    United Statesa year ago
  • Great show, love KCRW, can’t go wrong!!

    Great show, love KCRW, can’t go wrong!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ZephyrDogTown
    United States3 years ago
  • Madeleine Bernadotte??

    Love the show! It’s my favorite show! But has anyone noticed that it says the host is Madeleine Bernadotte at Apple Podcast??

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Allen in the hills
    United States3 years ago
  • A Must Listen for Californians and beyond

    Love Madeline and Press Play! A must listen to be plugged into everything LA and California.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SonmonGoodMon
    United States4 years ago
  • Interview with Adrian Bonnenberger (military)

    I really appreciate hearing the interview with the army officer who is trying to get his interpreter out. This is a humanitarian catastrophe which will be forgotten unless Biden takes more action.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Zozobutt
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Listener sentiment highlights thoughtful conversation and strong guests, with praise for topic breadth and local California focus.
Audience values public media credibility and in-depth coverage of LA and CA issues.
Many listeners appreciate high-quality guests across politics, culture, and science, and view the host as an engaging interviewer.
Some criticism centers on perceived bias or interview style, suggesting room for more balanced or rigorous journalism.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Political outsider Adam Miller promises more cops, fewer homeless in LA
Q: What would you do to address homelessness in the near term?
Scale up non-congregant tiny home villages, accelerate shelter capacity, redirect funds from ineffective programs to those with proven outcomes, and keep people housed with targeted landlord engagement and entitlements when needed.
Chiara Barzini’s ‘Aqua’ chronicles LA’s water in peril
Q: What prompted you to structure Aqua as a blend of history and personal memoir?
Barzini explains that traveling along the aqueduct and observing how the city's past and present intersected with her own life revealed that memory and place are inseparable, so she chose to weave the two narratives into one cohesive story.
The many delights of Herb Alpert
Q: How did the 'Tijuana Brass' branding come about and what impact did it have?
A suggestion from his partner at A&M Records led to naming the group Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, which gave him a distinctive identity that propelled early success, though he sometimes questioned whether the exotic branding helped or pigeonholed him.
Why climate change is making our food less nutritious
Q: What role does an asset inventory play in fixing city infrastructure?
An asset inventory clarifies what city assets exist, their condition, and the cost to repair or upgrade them, enabling a comprehensive, citywide plan rather than district-by-district fixes.
Why climate change is making our food less nutritious
Q: What is a capital infrastructure program and why has Los Angeles struggled to implement one?
A CIP is a governance tool to take stock of infrastructure needs, prioritize projects, and plan funding over multiple years; LA has lacked citywide coordination due to fragmented departments, political pressures, and limited resources, leading to a piecemeal approach.

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 Press Play

What is Press Play about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The program tends to center Los Angeles–focused news, culture, and policy, weaving together local government, infrastructure, climate, and public-interest stories with broader national and global context. Episodes frequently feature a mix of journalism, expert analysis, and cultural perspective, often highlighting how city planning, technology, and social policy intersect with daily life in Southern California. Notable throughlines include housing and governance, energy and climate, as well as arts and music scenes, all delivered through thoughtful interviews and diverse panel moments. A standout trait is the show's ability to pair in-depth policy discussions with human-interest or cultural storytelling, creating a locally grounded yet broa... more

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How many listeners does Press Play get?

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What are the audience demographics for Press Play?

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How many subscribers and views does Press Play have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Press Play 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 Press Play?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Press Play:

1. KCRW's Left, Right & Center
2. Imperfect Paradise
3. Good Food
4. The Business
5. LA Podcast

How many episodes of Press Play are there?

Press Play launched 12 years ago and published 1104 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 Press Play?

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 Press Play?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Press Play 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.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Press Play. 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 Press Play?

Recent guests on Press Play include:

1. Graham Kay
2. Dr. Michael Wilkes
3. Adam Miller
4. Adam Nagourney
5. Tim Grierson
6. Katie Walsh
7. Sean Edwards
8. John Lee Anderson

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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