Writing and Remarks

Here are some of the writings and interviews I've done on the power and value of public media in the lives of Americans.

• The Six Success Factors for Nonprofit DEI Councils (Independent Sector, 2024)
• How DEI councils can help public media manage change and retain staff (Current, 2024)
• The Secret to Highly Effective DEI Councils (Greater Public, 2024)
• How KUER’s new station fills a media gap for Utah Latinos (Current, 2024)
• KQED Presented with World Radio Day Award (Radio World, 2024)
• Experiments show potential of newsletter platforms beyond email (Current, 2024)
• Signal Flow: Ernesto Aguilar (Noise Gate, 2024)
• The playground of possibilities: A guide to generative AI for public media (Current, 2024)
• How public media can use AI to reach Latino audiences (Current, 2023)
• NPR’s State of the Union coverage aims to reach listeners who navigate the world in two languages (Current, 2023)
• How public radio stations can serve deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences (Current, 2022)
• PRPD Board Adds Aguilar & Kimball (Radio and Music Pros, 2022)
• How KQED is Forging New Bonds with Latinx Audiences (Gather, 2022)
• Engaging Hispanic audiences: What newsrooms can learn from museums (Need to Know, 2022)
• Public Radio's News/Talkers: 'We Have To Change How We Think About Ourselves.' (Inside Radio, 2021)
• Public Radio's News/Talkers, Part 2: 'We Don't Live Or Die By Ratings' (Inside Radio, 2021)
• San Francisco's Top Morning Shows, By The Numbers: KCBS, KQED Are Winners By The Bay (Inside Radio, 2021)
• Discussing KQED, community media and OIGO (KWMR, 2021)
• Why Radio Should Put Artists First: Joe Crowley’s ‘AMFA’ Take (Radio and Television Business Report, 2021)
• Rare donation of license awards freedom to Vermont community station (Current, 2021)
• Meet Ernesto Aguilar A Latinx Advocate and Thought Leader for Public Radio (BoldLatina, 2021)
• Interview on public media, diversity and change (Trilloquy, 2021)
• When will public media be public media for all? (The Objective, 2020)
• Public Media for All campaign gives participants ‘something to aspire to’ (Current, 2020)
• The Importance Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion In Public Media (Capital Public Radio, 2020)
• Coalition organizes day of action for movement to fix public media’s workplace culture (Current, 2020)
• Honoring the Rollicking Radio Revolution Led by WBCN (Radio World, 2020)
• Coalition Calls for Day of Action for Diversity in Public Media (Radio World, 2020)
• Is Diversity in U.S. Radio Engineering Possible? (Radio World, 2020)
• Report: Community Media Can Make the Census Count (Center for Community Media, 2020)
• Intervieew on community radio (This Week in Radio Tech, 2020)
• WBCN doc reaches a new audience while boosting community radio stations (Boston Globe, 2020)
• Rock station documentary provides support for community radio stations during pandemic (Current, 2020)
• How College and Community Radio are Responding to COVID-19 (Radio Survivor, 2020)
• "At 40, WMNF still stickin' it to the man. But does it need to change?" (Tampa Bay Times, 2019)
• WBAI Crisis, Relevance and Community Radio (WORT, 2019)
• BirdNote and the Value of Environmental Journalism (KWMR, 2019)
• Radio Phoenix interview (2019)
• WGXC Morning Show (2018)
• “The Future of Community Radio” panel (Radio Survivor, 2018)
• On NFCB rural initiative (Spark News, 2018)
• KCSB interview on the power of community media (2017)
• How Community Media Can Encourage Minority Communities To Engage (Forbes, 2017)
• Community Radio: A local voice worth your support (Zipsprout, 2018)

My 2019 Maynard Institute fellowship was covered by Radio World and Current. My Sulzberger fellowship was covered by AllAccess and Current.

Public Speaking and Engagements

I do a variety of public speaking and training on various media subjects, including digital strategy, audio production, radio content and more. Among the events I have spoken at include:

• Introduction to generative AI and public media (2024)
• Connecting With Latino Audiences (2023)
• America Amplified: How we reached Latino/a/e/x Communities (2022)
• Serving Spanish Speakers & Latinx Communities (2022)
• Speaking to station communities about radio, including KFAI (2021)
• Public Radio Content Conference
• Native Broadcast Summit (2019 | 2018)
• WordCamp 2017
• Community Media Conference
• Alliance for Community Media Conference
• Podcast Movement
• Allied Media Conference
• Grassroots Radio Conference
• "Better News Gathering and Media Diversity" (Houston Oasis, 2014)

You are encouraged to follow me on Twitter for updates on upcoming engagements near you.

Writing and Longform

During my NFCB tenure, I wrote a weekly column for Radio World on noncommercial media news, ideas, trends and growth opportunities. You can read the archive here.

For NFCB I authored a variety of guides, including a diversity, equity and inclusion playbook for community media and a primer on podcasting for community radio stations. These are still available to NFCB member organizations.

A few more pieces, essays and reports I have written include:

• We can't let anti-DEI laws kill public media (Current, 2024)
• Erika Aguilar sees ‘appetite for change’ as she steps into EP role on ‘Morning Edition’ (Current, 2021)
• Small Town Community Radio Takes On the Housing Crisis (The Progressive, 2018)
• At a time when local information is needed, FCC vote endangers public-access stations (Current, 2019)
• Corporate radio's classic hip-hop oldies stations could destroy the genre's history (Guardian, 2015)
• “I’m a testament to public media’s transformative power” (Current, 2017)
• Community radio: grappling with the new digital ecosystem (Radio Survivor, 2014)
• Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back changed the shape of hip-hop (Treble, 2018)
  • Related: Believe The Hype: Groundbreaking Public Enemy Album Celebrates 30 Years (Wisconsin Public Radio, 2018)
• Join the celebration of National Radio Day (Current, 2016)
• How To Get Your Band Played On The Radio – Everything You Need To Know! (Metal Injection, 2017)
• Ronda Rousey makes $3m a year but most UFC fighters don't get what they deserve (Guardian, 2015)
  • Related: Interview with Eddie Goldman on the Guardian piece and MMA's labor inequity (2015)

The topics I have covered in books include authoring and co-authoring works on:

• Economic crises’ impact on communities of color (The End of the World as We Know It? Crisis, Resistance, and the Age of Austerity)
• Incarceration rates and legacy effects on diverse communities (The End of Prisons: Reflections from the Decarceration Movement)
• Latin American populist movements and their global influence (The Accumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics)

In addition, a 2004 radio interview I did with controversial political theorist J. Sakai was transcribed and appeared in the updated release of the book Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat from Mayflower to Modern.

Audio Production Work

As a program director and news producer, I have an extensive list of audio work to my credit. I also produced NFCB's podcast Up for Air.

I've conducted many interviews on subjects of interest. A few include:

• Lisa Loving interview: community media journalism and its impact (2019)
• Lucie Smoker interview: writing and finding one's voice (2016)
• Samantha Berg interview: a primer on radical feminism (2014)
• Hilary Klein interview: women's organizing in Chiapas, Mexico (2015)
• Pastor Evan McClanahan interview: intersections in faith and politics (2016)
• John Hart interview: Cinco de Mayo's political history (2007)

In addition, I produced national live radio coverage of events such as the Left Forum and National Conference for Media Reform.