In the final episode of Season 2, Grace and her fellow Viewers Like Us co-creators, Ken Ikeda and Joaquin Alvarado, reconvene in Oakland, California for a candid roundtable conversation about the fraught state of the public media union. The trio reflects on lessons learned from making Season 1 of the podcast, from 2021 to the present, and uplifts resonant takeaways from a series of interactive worldbuilding sessions organized by VLU in 2022. Facilitated by Tony Patrick, these sessions allowed industry peers and leaders in the arts, documentary, and media sectors to collectively envision more dynamic, sustainable paths forward in support of all those who are eager to tell an abundance of American stories. Grace, Joaquin, and Ken also call in young makers to join the critical fight to build a better, more innovative future for public media — albeit in whatever new, reimagined forms it may take in the months ahead.
Show Notes
Joaquin Alvarado is a proven and provocative media leader with over 20 years of success developing innovative approaches, programming and organizations. From strategy to sustainability, Joaquin has been a part of some of the most widely recognized and substantial initiatives in public service journalism and media. He’s Oakland born and raised.
Ken Ikeda is the CEO of CAST (Community Arts Stabilization Trust), and a co-founder of Studiotobe, a media strategy and production company based in Oakland, CA, where he has lived for nearly 25 years. As former CEO of AIR, Executive Director of BAVC, head of Public Media Company, founder of Youth Sounds and architect of what is now NPR Live Sessions, his network is broad and multigenerational. Past Bay Area board service includes the Center for Asian American Media, Youth Speaks, Not In Our Town, Youth Together and New Art Trust.
Organizations named in this episode:
- BAVC Media (Bay Area Video Coalition)
- Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting
- Public Media Company
Frieda B. Hennock was the first woman to serve as a Federal Communications Commissioner, where she worked to establish educational television in the U.S.
Firelight Fund (Firelight Media)
“Foundations Commit $36.5 Million to Protect Public Media in Communities”
August 19, 2025, MacArthur Foundation