‘Saving Main Street’ Chronicles Small Business Owners Fighting to Survive the Pandemic

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2022

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The pandemic shutdowns forced millions of small businesses across the country to close up shop or barely hang on. Journalist Gary Rivlin spent months following a group of small business owners struggling to survive the pandemic in his new book, “Saving Main Street: Small Business in the Time of COVID-19.” His book chronicles the personal and financial risks the owners had to take amid a contentious presidential election, confusing government aid programs and contradictory safety guidelines. Rivlin joins us to talk about how the pandemic forever changed how small businesses operate and how they are faring now. Guests: Gary Rivlin, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author, "Saving Main Street Small Business in the Tine of COVID-19" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for KQBD Podcasts comes from Rancho LaPuerta, a wellness resort 45 minutes outside of San Diego.
0:07.6	Summer packages include fitness and mindfulness classes, hiking, live music, and culinary adventures featuring fresh fruits and veggies.
0:16.3	Rancho LePuerta.com.
0:18.0	Switch to Comcast Business Mobile and save hundreds a year in your wireless bill.
0:22.1	Comcast Business, powering possibilities.
0:24.6	Restrictions apply.
0:25.4	Comcast Business Internet required.
0:26.7	Comparse two unlimited intro lines and lowest price 5D plans of top three carriers.
0:29.7	Tax on fees extra, reduce speeds after 30 gigabytes of usage.
0:32.0	Data thresholds may vary.
0:34.4	From KQED.
0:47.0	The From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrible.
0:50.6	There's a certain dream to the small business.
0:52.8	You can quote, be your own boss, earn a living without moving up the corporate ladder, do things your way according to your own ethics and standards.
1:00.0	But the reality is often much tougher from local restaurants to manufacturing, logistics, or just filling some niche in the local part of the global economy.
1:10.0	These things are tough and they've gotten tougher in the era of globalization, industry
1:14.1	consolidation, and of course, the pandemic.
1:17.0	Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Gary Rivlin joins us this hour to talk about his new book
1:21.0	Saving Main Street and what happened to small business during the pandemic.
1:25.3	Some of the story you might expect, but a lot is surprising.
1:28.3	That's all coming up next.
1:29.7	After this news.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.