Michael Krasny (talk show host)

Michael Jay Krasny (born September 22, 1944) is a professor and retired American 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 is currently a professor of English literature at San Francisco State University.

For other people named Michael Krasny, see Michael Krasny (disambiguation).
Michael Krasny
Krasny in 2008
Born
Michael Jay Krasny

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

Early life

Born in Cleveland and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Krasny is a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Russia and Lithuania and grew up in a Jewish household.[3][4]

Michael is among the outstanding graduates of Cleveland Heights High School (class of 1962) featured in the book Every Tiger Has a Tale.[5] Despite his intellectual reputation today, Krasny admits to having had a "bad boy" reputation while growing up in Cleveland Heights.[6]

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.[7][8] He went on to host a popular radio program on KGO (AM) from 1984 to December 1992.[9] He became the host of Forum in 1993, expanding the focus of the program to more national themes.[10] On November 9, 2020, Krasny announced that he would retire from Forum on February 15, 2021.[11] His last Forum broadcast was on February 12, 2021.

Krasny is a professor of English at San Francisco State University where he has taught primarily American literature since 1970.[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.[7] 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.[12]

In his 2010 book, Spiritual Envy, Krasny revealed that he became agnostic later in life.[3]

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. "KQED Radio Staff: Michael Krasny". KQED. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  3. "The quest for faith: Michael Krasnys new book details life as an agnostic". JWeekly: The Jewish News of Northern California. November 19, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  4. Aschenbrand, Periel (February 24, 2017). "The Chosen Ones: An Interview With Michael Krasny". Tablet. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. 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.
  6. Fresh Dialogues interview with Alison van Diggelen, April 2009/
  7. Liberatore, Paul (2007-10-22). "Krasny: The thinking person's talk host". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  8. 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. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  9. 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.
  10. Krasny, Michael (21 November 2007). "Michael Krasny Talks 'Off Mike'". Forum (Interview: Audio). Interviewed by Cynthia Gorney. KQED-FM. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  11. Zimmerman, Douglas (November 9, 2020). "Broadcaster Michael Krasny announces retirement from KQED". SF Gate. San Francisco. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  12. 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.
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