Madeleine Brand

Madeleine Brand is the host of  the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international and local stories through a Southern California lens.  She is also the co-host of KCRW's legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.

Madeleine has hosted and reported for NPR and for affiliate stations for more than 30 years. She has a master's degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she also taught documentary radio. Madeleine's undergraduate degree is from the University of California Berkeley, where she graduated with honors in English.

Madeleine Brand on KCRW

Great white sharks call Southern California shores their home. Carlos Gauna, a photographer and drone pilot, documents the hot spots and shares safety tips.

CA beaches are ‘1 giant highway for the white sharks’

Great white sharks call Southern California shores their home. Carlos Gauna, a photographer and drone pilot, documents the hot spots and shares safety tips.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Apple is the latest tech company to unveil AI tools for its most popular products. Will this be truly helpful, or is it another ploy to sell more iPhones?

Can Apple deliver on an AI promise to change our lives?

Apple is the latest tech company to unveil AI tools for its most popular products. Will this be truly helpful, or is it another ploy to sell more iPhones?

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Mdocu Moctar’s “Funeral for Justice” is a blend of desert blues and sociopolitical commentary about his West African home country of Niger.

Mdou Moctar’s new album targets scars of French colonialism

Mdocu Moctar’s “Funeral for Justice” is a blend of desert blues and sociopolitical commentary about his West African home country of Niger.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

More from KCRW

As Disney plans to pour $1.9 billion into upgrading its Anaheim resort, workers say the company needs to look out for them too.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Andrea Nguyen, Clarissa Wei, and Hetty Lui McKinnon have all been nominated for a James Beard Award. Try their cookbook recipes during this AAPI Month.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

The voice of OC has spent over a decade delivering news in Orange County – even as half of the U.S. faces a rise in “news deserts .”

from KCRW Features

Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava faces a recall just a year into her term over accusations of corruption in Anaheim.

from KCRW Features

Gillian Anderson talks about playing Margaret Thatcher, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Emily Maitlis, the BBC anchor who did the exclusive 2019 interview with Prince Andrew.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Popsicles should be ice-cold but not ice-hard. Texture and flavor are equally important. The goal: Keep ice crystal formation small, which will produce a softer texture.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Critics review the latest film releases: “The Fall Guy,” “I Saw the TV Glow,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” and “Mars Express.”

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Inglewood school officials blame closures on declining student enrollment and aging facilities. But distraught community members suspect financial motives.

from KCRW Features

The first laws criminalizing stalking in California stemmed from the 1991 trial of Tucson resident Robert Bardo, who tracked down and killed LA actress Rebecca Schaeffer.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand