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Secrets of Our Sun

Earth Day is approaching and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the natural world — including the spectacular cosmic phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. This month, the Moon's shadow will sweep from Texas to Maine, giving us the last total eclipse in the U.S. until 2044. NOVA: Great American Eclipse goes inside the extraordinary event as scientists scramble to unlock the secrets of our Sun. Watch the episode on Wednesday, April 3, at 8pm on KQED 9. Or stream it online with the PBS App or on KQED Passport.

Where to Stream

Season 19 of Check, Please! Bay Area

Check, Please! Bay Area is back with a new season and they’ve already picked up a new award! The popular food-lover’s series was just named Viewer’s Choice winner for Best City or Regional Program in the 15th Annual Taste Awards. To kick off Season 19, the program is venturing into new, delicious territory with a visit to the Monterey Bay Area. Join host Leslie Sbrocco and discover hidden gems such as Seaside’s The Butter House, where Filipino and Pacific Island flavors fuse with traditional American breakfasts. Or revisit beloved venues like Shadowbrook, where the signature Pacific Rim salmon and prime rib continues to delight diners. Catch the new season on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30pm on KQED 9. Or stream it with the PBS App or KQED Passport.

Where to Stream

Bonus: KQED launched a new show, Beyond the Menu. Host Cecilia Phillips interviews food experts to uncover surprising facts about the cultural history of ingredients and techniques used in today’s most popular dishes. Start watching on KQED’s Food YouTube channel.

Special thanks to the Check, Please! Bay Area sponsors:

KQED Celebrates 70 Years

KQED public media has been informing, inspiring and involving the San Francisco Bay Area for 70 years.

KQED’s first on-air television broadcast was April 5, 1954, making 2024 our 70th anniversary serving the public with trustworthy, independent journalism, quality programming and educational community events. When KQED went on the air, it was one of a handful of stations in a new field referred to as the “educational TV movement.” Conceived initially as a teaching tool, the station quickly broadened its scope to include entertainment and public affairs programming.

Help keep us going for another 70 years by becoming a member! Your gift contributes to content, like this newsletter, that will inform and inspire our community for decades to come.

Donate Today

What We’re Listening to


Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe Inside SLAC On Interstate 280, just south of the Sand Hill Road exit, near Stanford, there is this overpass that crosses over a long, skinny building. Bay Curious listener Eric Nelson has wondered what that building is for years. Turns out, scientists are unraveling the mysteries of the universe inside SLAC. Bay Curious takes you on a tour of this intriguing laboratory.

US Navy Acknowledges Toxic Groundwater Threat in Bayview-Hunters Point Activists and scientists have been sounding the alarm about radioactive contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, the site of former U.S. Navy activity, for years. The Bay shares an episode from August 2022 with KQED Climate Reporter Ezra David Romero. In it, they meet residents of Bayview-Hunters Point who have been fighting for more information and resources to deal with health problems that they attribute to this pollution.

Night of Ideas: Deepfakes and the 2024 Election Deepfakes are already affecting the 2024 election, and the technology is only becoming more convincing. UC Berkeley computer scientist Hany Farid shared the stage with Mina Kim on March 2 at the Night of Ideas. Forum listens back to their conversation about how easy it is to make fake digital content with generative artificial intelligence and the impact that’s having on our democracy.

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