Brian Hardzinski

producer

Producer/KCRW Staff

Brian joined KCRW's Press Play in 2019 after three years at NPR's On Point, housed at WBUR in Boston. Before that, he spent a decade at KGOU in Oklahoma City as the operations director, digital news editor, Morning Edition host, reporter, and producer - sometimes all in the same day. He grew up in the Dallas area (with a brief stint in Singapore) and earned degrees in journalism and history from the University of Oklahoma.

In his free time, Brian enjoys distance running and hanging with his cute Boston Terrier, Bucky.

Brian Hardzinski on KCRW

As Press Play takes a break for the holidays, here are a few of our favorite interviews from 2024.

Holiday special: Julia Louis Dreyfus, Morgan Neville, ‘Messiah’

As Press Play takes a break for the holidays, here are a few of our favorite interviews from 2024.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

President Biden races to cement his stamp on the federal judiciary, while President-elect Trump may remain dogged by his hush-money convictions.

Rickey Henderson remembrance, film reviews

President Biden races to cement his stamp on the federal judiciary, while President-elect Trump may remain dogged by his hush-money convictions.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

On X, Elon Musk tried to kill a short-term budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans. Congress has until midnight Friday to strike a deal to avert a shutdown.

Potential government shutdown, bar cookies, ‘What Water Wants’

On X, Elon Musk tried to kill a short-term budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans. Congress has until midnight Friday to strike a deal to avert a shutdown.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

More from KCRW

Threatened by the Franklin Fire, Pepperdine University Professor Joel Johnson says his wife’s quick thinking and a baby monitor powering off helped them evacuate in less than an hour.

from KCRW Features

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a 60-day ceasefire after more than a year of costly fighting. Previous truces between the sides didn’t last. Will this one?

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

LA's status as the entertainment capital of the world is under threat, as more production companies leave for cheaper locations.

from KCRW Features

A 1.3 mile stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard is supposed to be a future hub of Black arts and culture in LA. Residents are torn over what it’ll do to the neighborhood’s legacy and future.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares, then lifts, martial law. It marks the boiling over of more than two years of simmering political tensions.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Residents of North Tustin say sharing a zip code with Santa Ana raises their taxes. A proposal aims to give them their own.

from KCRW Features

For nearly a decade, President-elect Trump has praised a 1954 program known as “Operation Wetback.” Now he’s proposing using the U.S. military to carry out larger mass deportations.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

KCRW examines Donald Trump’s cabinet picks. Is the GOP misreading an immigration “mandate” from voters? Plus, is America just not ready for a woman president?

from Left, Right & Center

Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, after saying he wouldn’t. How did the nation’s founders want pardons to be used? Is this an abuse?

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand