Los Angeles (November 7, 2006) - 89.3 KPCC-FM will add Sound Opinions^SM, a public radio program about contemporary music and its place in American culture, to its programming schedule starting November 12, 2006. Sound Opinions will air Sundays at 9 p.m.

Sound Opinions is produced in Chicago by Chicago Public Radio® and co-produced and distributed by American Public Media^TM.

Sound Opinions was created and is hosted by two of the nation's most influential music critics, Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times and Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune. Each week, DeRogatis and Kot debate the latest music, talk to artists, air live performances and deliver pop culture insights.

An earlier version of the program aired in Chicago for more than seven years at Infinity's adult rock station, commercial WXRT-FM.

"Sound Opinions has the ability to work well as a music show on music stations, and as a show about music on news stations such as KPCC," said Craig Curtis, program director at 89.3 KPCC-FM. "Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis have great knowledge and enthusiasm for the music, and are very good at explaining the music both to fans and to listeners who find themselves occasionally baffled by some contemporary pop music."

For Chicago Public Radio, the managing producer of Sound Opinions is Todd Bachman, producer is Matt Spiegel and the executive producer is Torey Malatia. For American Public Media, the creative consultant is Steve Nelson, program director for Minnesota Public Radio's The Current^TM.

Sound Opinions is on the Web at www.soundopinions.com.

About the hosts
Jim DeRogatis has been the pop music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times since 1997. He has also worked as an editor at several music magazines, including Rolling Stone, and is the author of five books about rock 'n' roll, including Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic and Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips.

Greg Kot is the pop music critic at the Chicago Tribune and the author of the acclaimed biography, Wilco: Learning How to Die. He has also contributed music criticism to numerous books and magazines, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, Rolling Stone and a dozen other national publications.

89.3 KPCC-FM is Southern California's most listened to public radio station, featuring the most NPR news, award-winning local news and signature public radio programs. The KPCC newsroom has garnered more awards for journalistic excellence than any other local station public or commercial. Each week a half-million listeners tune-in to KPCC's AirTalk with Larry Mantle, Patt Morrison and Off-Ramp with John Rabe for local news and cultural programming; as well as public radio favorites Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Marketplace, Car Talk, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and A Prairie Home Companion. Listeners from around the globe can tune in to a 24/7 live stream and explore KPCC podcasts, archives and more at kpcc.org.

Southern California Public Radio is the member-supported non-profit organization that operates 89.3 KPCC in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and its repeater station, 89.1 KUOR in the Inland Empire. Bureaus are maintained in Downtown Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, and on the campuses of the University of Redlands and Pasadena City College.

American Public Media is the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Weekend America,® Saint Paul Sunday,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Speaking of Faith® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio.® Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at < www.americanpublicmedia.org.

Media Contacts
Brad Robideau
American Public Media
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org

Media Contact: Betty St. Peter
Ph: (213)621-3471
E-mail: Online contact form...