California Love

California Love

California Love is a blend of memoir, pop culture analysis and oral history. The newest season, K-pop Dreaming, is about the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, as told from the point-of-view of the Korean diaspora in Los Angeles. Host Vivian Yoon takes listeners on a journey from K-pop’s origins in Korean trot music and American presence in post-war South Korea to the 1992 LA Uprising and the booming global popularity of K-pop in the present day, all juxtaposed against Yoon’s own coming-of-age as a second generation immigrant in Los Angeles, struggling to fit in and come to terms with her own identity. The series premieres on February 23rd.

In the first season Walter Thompson-Hernández was inspired by Tupac and Dr. Dre's "California Love"- a love letter and anthem for a generation. Walter invites listeners to join him in his family home, on horseback through the streets of Compton, and up into the sky to examine belonging.

Latest Episode

Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities (03.10.2025)

Previous Episodes

  • Imperfect Paradise: How union organizing is being upended by private universities in Southern California 26.09.2025
  • Imperfect Paradise: Why California's protest law is flawed and the consequences to protesters 19.09.2025
  • Imperfect Paradise: The Huntington Beach library at the center of America’s culture wars 10.09.2025
  • Epilogue 17.08.2020
  • Ellie 13.08.2020
  • Compton Cowboys 06.08.2020
  • Parrots: A Parable 30.07.2020
  • Kobe 23.07.2020
  • P Line 16.07.2020
  • Scared Straight 09.07.2020
  • Prologue 09.07.2020

Other podcasts

Radio USA App

Radio USA App

Install Radio USA for free on your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online.
Radio US in the app