KVCR Public Media

KVCR Public Media KVCR Public Media serves the Inland Empire and Southern California with public television, radio, and KVCR’s NPR member stations operate on 91.9 FM and 88.1 FM.
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KVCR is the cultural, educational, and informational center of the Inland Empire. As the region’s only locally-owned and operated public television and radio station, KVCR serves audiences throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California while bringing communities together through programming and outreach. Through community initiatives, KVCR strives to serve our region beyond the capacities of

traditional broadcasting. KVCR is licensed to the San Bernardino Community College District and broadcasts from its studios on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College. Its PBS member stations include Channel 24 KVCR, Channel 18 KJHP, and Channel 9 K09XW. More information on KVCR can be found at KVCR.ORG.

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/27/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Irene Bedard was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a citizen of the Native village of Koyuk in Alaska and is part Inupiat and part Cree. She earned a Musical Theater degree from the University of Arts in Philadelphia and started her acting career at the age of 27 with a supporting role in "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale", then a year later achieved worldwide recognition as the voice of Pocahontas in the Disney animated film. Irene Bedard has starred in numerous films and TV shows in including "Westworld", "Smoke Signals", "FBI Most Wanted", "The Stand" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Irene Bedard has also been an environmental activist and fights to protect sacred lands. She once served on the American Indian Enterprise and Business Council to the United Nations.

11/27/2025

On this Thanksgiving Day, we’re taking a moment to appreciate the incredible Inland Empire community that keeps us inspired. Whether you tune in for your favorite programs, join us at local events, or simply cheer us on from afar, you make everything we do possible. Wishing you a cozy, joyful day surrounded by people who mean the most. 🥧🍁

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/26/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Jerry Chris Elliott - High Eagle, of Cherokee heritage, was born and raised in Oklahoma City. After graduating from high school in 1961 he was accepted to the University of Oklahoma. He graduated with a degree in physics and a minor in mathematics in 1966. Near the end of his college years, he discovered a job posting on the bulletin board from NASA. Jerry Elliott went straight to the Dean's office in his police uniform (he worked part time as a police officer to help pay for his education) and asked if he could have the job at NASA. The NASA representative first asked him if he was going to get a ticket for being double parked, then asked for Jerry Elliott's resume and the questionairre he was supposed to fill out when he applied for the job. Jerry Elliot didn't have any of those things. He just told him "I want to land men on the moon". A few days later he started to work for NASA as a flight operations engineer for the Gemini space program, the only Native American on the mission control team. He later served in mission control for the Apollo missions and was there when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. Jerry Elliott was the retrofire officer, whose job was to compute the flight path for the return trip home. His skills were really put to the test on the Apollo 13 mission. As soon as he heard the words "Houston, we have a problem" Jerry Elliott worked non stop for days and played a crucial role in bringing the crew back home. He and the other Mission Control members were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 for their success in bringing the astronauts back to Earth safely.

11/26/2025

What a night last month! 💐✨ Our Day of the Dead event with brought together art, culture, and community in the best way. Thank you to our partners for all the support to make this our 2nd annual Day of the Dead a huge success! 🎬🕯️

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/25/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

George Speck was born in Saratoga, New York in 1824. His father's family is African American and his mother's family is Mohawk. He never had an opportunity to go to school and was never formally educated. He grew up to be a skilled chef and worked at Cary Moon's Lake House restaurant located in Saratoga Lake. It was an expensive restaurant where a lot of wealthy New Yorkers would come for summer retreats. One day, shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt came to the restaurant and asked for fried potatos. George Speck made some but Vanderbilt sent them back saying they weren't thin enough. George Speck sliced them even thinner and Vanderbilt sent them back again saying they still weren't thin enough. George Speck, frustrated beyond belief, finally sliced the potatoes as thin as possible, dipped them in oil, threw some salt on them and served them. It turned out they were delicious and they became known as "Saratoga Chips". They were soon served in upscale restaurants all across the country. In the 1930s two large food companies, Lay's and Fritos, began mass producing these Saratoga chips as snack foods, calling them "Potato Chips". A historical note: The exact story of who invented the potato chip is unknown, this is just the most popular story. Some say George Speck's sister, Catherine Wicks, who worked with George at the Cary Moon's Lake House, is the real inventor. She was the one who became frustrated at the rich customer (who may or may not have actually been Cornelius Vanderbilt), sliced the potatos extra thin, then accidentally dropped them in a boiling pot of fat creating the potato chip. Others say Peter Francis, who was from the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and was George Speck's brother in law, created the Saratoga Chip at a different hotel nearby and he shared and compared notes with George Speck and his sister. But either way, the world thanks this Mohawk family from Saratoga for this very delicious snack!

11/25/2025

Operation Gobble round 3… complete! 🦃✨ With the help of our incredible partners, we supported 500 families this year. Huge thanks to Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County, San Bernardino Valley College, Penske Truck, and Amazon. And extra gratitude to the Colony High Baseball Titans for showing up strong and helping load food! 🙌🥫

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/24/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Fred Begay was born on the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation in Colorado in 1932. Both his parents were Navajo healers and taught him Navajo medicine. Fred Begay spoke both Navajo and Ute and didn't learn English until he was 10. He attended a Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Ignacio, Colorado. Curious about the natural world, Fred Begay asked a lot of questions like how rainbows were made, earning him the name "Clever Fox". You would think this high desire to learn would gain appreciation from his teachers, but it didn't. He was instead trained to be a farmer and he never graduated high school. After serving in the Korean War, Fred Begay, still with a deep desire to learn, went to the University of New Mexico and earned a bachelor's degree in math and science (while at the same time taking remedial classes to catch up on his high school diploma). He later received a masters degree in physics and a doctorate in nuclear physics, becoming the first Native American to earn a degree in this subject. He became part of the Los Alamos Nuclear Physics team in 1971 and worked on thermonuclear plasmas as a possible alternative source of energy. He also studied the origin of high energy gamma rays and solar neutrons. Fred Begay always believed his Native upbringing helped him with his thinking. Fred Begay is also the head of the Seaborg Hall of Science, spending a significant amount of time talking to youth in the Navajo community, inspiring them to pursue careers in physics and technology. In 1994 the National Science Foundation presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/23/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Lily Gladstone was born in Montana and grew up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana. Her father's family is part Piegan Blackfeet and part Nez Perce. Her great-great-grandfather is Chief Red Crow. Lily Gladstone saw the movie "Return of the Jedi" at age five and started wandering around her house pretending to be an Ewok, inspiring her to become an actress. One of her first performances was playing one of the wicked stepsisters in the Missoula Children's Theater production of "Cinderella". In 2008 she earned a Bachelor's degree in Acting and Directing from the University of Montana. She made her film debut in 2013 in the French drama "Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian". Lily Gladstone landed some more supporting roles in a number of other independent films and television shows but the primary role she is known for is Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorcese's "Killers of the Flower Moon". Lily Gladstone won the Screen Actor's Guild award and the Golden Globe award for best actress and became the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress.

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/22/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Aaron Yazzie is a member of the Navajo nation and was born and raised in Arizona. He loved science and wanted to work for NASA when he grew up. He planned to attend a public college in Arizona but an admissions counselor recognized his science skills and persuaded him to go to Stanford Univeristy in California instead. While at college Aaron Yazzie worked as an intern for the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Glenn Research Center. After he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, Aaron Yazzie worked for JPL and helped build the Mars Curiosity Rover's sample acquisition system and developed drill bits for the Mars Perserverance Rover. Aaron Yazzie is a senior member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, where he works with indigenous students to help get them started in careers in science and technology.

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who hav...
11/21/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month! In celebration, we’d like to introduce you to a few Native Americans who have made some enormous contributions to our country:

Bethany Yellowtail is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana. She grew up in the small town of Wyola and attended schools that were up to 23 miles away from her house. Her family often sold beads and Indigenous jewelry at Farmer's Markets around where they lived. Bethany Yellowtail's grandparents taught her how to sew and she became interested in fashion design. After graduating from Tongue River High School in 2007, she attented the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She started her fashion career at BCBG Max Azria Group, then worked for a few private fashion companies as a pattern maker. In 2015, she started her own fashion company, B. Yellowtail, with a mission to accurately represent Native American culture. Her company is now based in Los Angeles and earns millions of dollars every year. Bethany Yellowtail is an active supporter of women's rights and works with communities who have been affected by the MMIR (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives) epidemic. She is also the founder of a mentorship program called Rez Girl, which focuses on helping young Indigenous girls believe they can do anything.

11/21/2025

POV: celebrating your bestie’s 6th birthday 🎂💙 Happy Birthday, Blue!

In September, a former day laborer was detained by Border Patrol agents outside the Pomona Day Labor Center and self-dep...
11/20/2025

In September, a former day laborer was detained by Border Patrol agents outside the Pomona Day Labor Center and self-deported to Mexico just days later. In the process, he left everything behind — including his 9-year-old pit bull, Chapo.

Now, the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, who runs the day labor center, is raising money to reunite the two.

Fernando Salazar migrated to the United States 22 years ago and eventually settled in Pomona. The 60-year-old worked as a day laborer, living largely alone after his wife and children chose not to immigrate. That changed nine years ago when neighbors found a stray puppy and gave him to Salazar.

Salazar said he raised Chapo like his child. “The dog motivated me to keep going,” he said in Spanish from his hometown in Morelos, a rural state south of Mexico City. “When I’m eating tacos, he wants to eat tacos too.”

Decades of isolation from his family led to depression, Salazar said, but caring for Chapo — the walks, the baths, the routine of it all — helped him feel grounded.

That routine abruptly ended on Sept. 25. Salazar said he was walking Chapo near the day labor center when he noticed Border Patrol agents in the parking lot. The officers were targeting two other workers, according to staff at the site, not Salazar. Yet, he was still detained.

KVCR's Anthony Victoria reports.

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701 S Mount Vernon Avenue
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What is Empire KVCR?

Empire KVCR, a PBS and NPR station, is Inland Southern California’s public media source for television, radio and digital . For over fifty years the KVCR name has been the cultural, educational, and informational center of the Inland Empire and Inland SoCal.

Empire KVCR serves audiences throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California while bringing communities together through programming and outreach. Through community initiatives, Empire KVCR strives to serve our region beyond the capacities of traditional broadcasting.

Empire KVCR is licensed to the San Bernardino Community College District and broadcasts from its studios on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College. Its PBS member stations include Channel 24 KVCR, Channel 18 KJHP, and Channel 9 K09XW. Our radio station, an NPR member station, operates on 91.9 FM and 88.1 FM. More information on Empire KVCR can be found at www.EmpireKVCR.org.