What California’s Billboards Say About Us

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Billboards promoting movies “for your consideration” take over Los Angeles freeways every award season, while San Francisco’s drivers are inundated with tech jargon. But billboards do more than promote the industries that power our economy. Up and down California, they serve as cultural touchstones, calls to action and reflections of local values and beliefs. We talk about California’s unique culture and history with billboards. What’s a billboard you remember? Guests: Wendy Liu, author, writes about billboards for Bay Area Current Catherine Gudis, professor in the departments of History and Society, Environment, and Health Equity, University of California, Riverside Matt Stevens, arts and culture reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:59.1	From KQVD in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim.
1:19.9	What California's many billboards say about us.
1:23.7	Billboards promoting movies for your consideration, over los angeles every award season while
1:29.2	san francisco's drivers are inundated with tech jargon but billboards do more than promote industries
1:34.9	up and down california they serve as cultural touchstones or calls to action or reflections of local
1:41.3	values they can stir up controversies and create celebrities. This hour,
1:46.4	we take a closer look at California's unique connection with its billboards. What's one you
1:51.6	remember? Join us. Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. California is big, and like it or not, in California, we drive.
	...

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