Michael Krasny (talk show host)

Michael Krasny
Krasny in 2008
Born
Michael Jay Krasny

(1944-09-22) September 22, 1944
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Children2
Career
ShowForum
StationsKQED-FM, Sirius
Time slotMonday–Thursday, 9:00-11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
StylePresenter
CountryUnited States
Previous showsKTIM (FM) - Beyond the Hot Tub - KGO (AM) - Nightfocus
KRON-TV - Take Issue
NPR - Talk of the Nation

Michael Jay Krasny (born September 22, 1944) was radio host of Forum, a news and public affairs program on San Francisco public radio station KQED-FM, covering current events, politics, and culture from 1993 to 2021.[1][2] Additionally, Krasny taught in the Department of English at San Francisco State University from 1970 to 2021.

Early life

Born in Cleveland and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and his father worked at an ice cream factory.[3] Krasny is a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Russia and Lithuania. He grew up in a Jewish household.[4][5]

Krasny is among the graduates of Cleveland Heights High School (class of 1962) featured in the book Every Tiger Has a Tale.[6] Despite his intellectual reputation today, Krasny admits to having had a "bad boy" reputation while growing up in Cleveland Heights.[7]

Career

In the late 1970s, Krasny hosted a weekly Marin County talk show called "Beyond the Hot Tub" on low-power rock radio station KTIM-FM.[8][9] He went on to host a popular radio program on KGO (AM) from 1984 to December 1992.[10] He became the host of Forum in 1993, expanding the focus of the program to more national themes.[11] On November 9, 2020, Krasny announced that he would retire from Forum on February 15, 2021.[12] His last Forum broadcast was on February 12, 2021.

Krasny taught in the Department of English at San Francisco State University from 1970 to 2021.[2] He received his B.A. cum laude in 1966 and M.A. in 1967 from Ohio University, where he attended the Honors College and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He holds a Ph.D. in 20th century American literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[2]

Krasny is a widely published scholar, critic and fiction writer. He has also worked widely as a facilitator and host in the corporate sector and as a moderator for nonprofit events.[2]

Personal life

Krasny is a long-time resident of Greenbrae, California.[8] SFSU Online Magazine reports that Krasny's wife is an attorney and an alumna of San Francisco State University, and that Krasny has two daughters.[13]

In his 2010 book, Spiritual Envy, Krasny revealed that he became agnostic later in life.[4]

Bibliography

  • Krasny, Michael (2007). Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life. Stanford General Books. ISBN 978-0-8047-5671-6.
  • Krasny, Michael (2010). Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest. New World Library. ISBN 978-1-57731-912-2.
  • Krasny, Michael (2016). Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor and What It All Means. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062422057.

References

  1. ↑ "Longtime KQED Forum Host Michael Krasny Announces His Retirement | KQED's Pressroom". KQED. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "KQED Radio Staff: Michael Krasny". KQED. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  3. ↑ Whiting, Sam. "'Forum' host Michael Krasny announces his retirement from KQED". SF Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 Pine, Dan (November 19, 2010). "The quest for faith: Michael Krasnys new book details life as an agnostic". JWeekly: The Jewish News of Northern California. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. ↑ Aschenbrand, Periel (February 24, 2017). "The Chosen Ones: An Interview With Michael Krasny". Tablet. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ Stromberg, Gary (2009-03-11). Every Tiger has a Tale: Generations of grads from a Cleveland area high school share their amazing life stories. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. pp. 89–97. ISBN 978-1-4401-2748-9.
  7. ↑ Fresh Dialogues interview with Alison van Diggelen, April 2009/
  8. 1 2 Liberatore, Paul (2007-10-22). "Krasny: The thinking person's talk host". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  9. ↑ Selvin, Joel (2003-02-11). "A Voice of Calm Amid the Chatter: Ever erudite, Michael Krasny marks his 10 years as a KQED talk-show host". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 24, 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  10. ↑ Woodward, Keith (25 September 2006). "KGO History - Some Events of the Past Decade". Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  11. ↑ Krasny, Michael (21 November 2007). "Michael Krasny Talks 'Off Mike'". Forum (Interview: Audio). Interviewed by Cynthia Gorney. KQED-FM. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  12. ↑ Zimmerman, Douglas (November 9, 2020). "Broadcaster Michael Krasny announces retirement from KQED". SF Gate. San Francisco. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ Griffin, Ellen (Fall–Winter 2003). "Michael Krasny: Reading, Writing and Radio". SFSU Magazine. Archived from the original on 2004-09-04. Retrieved 2014-07-01.