Flipping the Script: The Final Episode of Voices of the Community

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“Economic inequality, homelessness, social and economic justice, the opportunity for all to share in the wealth of our democracy. These are the things that keep me up at night and when I wake up in the morning this is what I’m working on to make the changes that I want to see in our communities.”

— George Koster

After producing nearly 200 episodes, Voices of the Community is officially sunsetting. Join creator George Koster and associate producer Eric Estrada for a special live farewell panel, guest-hosted by Lila LaHood from the San Francisco Public Press.

Recorded at the brand-new KSFP studio space in the Warfield Commons, this final conversation celebrates the show's rich history of spotlighting local nonprofits, arts organizations, and community change-makers. George shares his early radio roots and the inspiration behind launching the podcast, while Eric discusses the technical evolution of producing the series. The discussion dives deep into the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses, the ongoing challenges surrounding housing, and the critical importance of grassroots journalism. Ultimately, this finale is a love letter to the Bay Area and a call to action for listeners to stay engaged in their neighborhoods.

George Koster, Voices of the Community Executive Producer

George worked on developing and executing the launch of KSFP a low powered FM radio station with the San Francisco Public Press.

George is the creator of award winning show “Voices of the Community.” A tireless passionate promoter, George believes that we can leverage business as a change agent in our communities to provide both business and workforce opportunities for our most vulnerable community members, with the goal of providing an economic, social, environmental and cultural impact multiplier. George brings over 20 years of developing and implementing innovative and integrated public, private, philanthropic, programs tied into funders, and strategic partnerships. He has a passion for using the power of stories and audio to address some of the issues facing our community members.

Eric Estrada, Voices of the Community Producer

Eric has produced the award winning series Voices of the Community since 2018, during his tenure at VOC, he has produced over 150 episodes.

Eric was born and raised in San Francisco. He started as a live sound engineer at a local church. After listening to radio for years, Eric thought to combine his engineering background with his hobby, music. When he realized, he liked the idea of being on a radio show and entertaining people, he began pursuing a radio career. His passion for radio grew over time, and his first project was helping a blind friend produce and engineer a sports talk show and an afternoon drive time talk show.

Eric met George Koster while he was a production manager for City College of San Francisco’s radio station (KCSF Radio). When he transferred to San Francisco State University he was the production manager for their radio station (KSFS Radio), and he has also worked as a board operator, at CBS Radio (Alice 97.3). Eric also co-created and currently produces an independent hip-hop music show, known as Da MaddHouze on KPOO 89.5 FM San Francisco. Find out more about Eric’s work.

Lila LaHood Executive Director of the San Francisco Public Press

Lila LaHood is Executive Director of the San Francisco Public Press. She is a member of San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance Task Force and a member of the board of directors of the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She has worked as a nonprofit consultant and freelance editor. She was previously a business writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where she covered retail and real estate. Lila has an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in international relations from Stanford University.

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“I think what I want people to take away from Voices of the Community is that... there are real people sometimes experiencing these real kind of struggles, but then there’s also organizations that are really trying to, I guess in a way, are for humanity, right? And trying to better people and actually really trying to do the work.”

— Eric Estrada, Associate producer of Voices of the Community

Thanks to our CoProduction Partner

KCSF Radio is the student-operated radio station of City College of San Francisco (CCSF), functioning as a core component of the Broadcast Electronic Media Arts Department. Was broadcasting at 90.9 FM and is now streaming only online via platforms like TuneIn, KCSF serves as both a training ground for aspiring media professionals and a vibrant community radio voice. The station emphasizes being "Your Community, Your Radio," offering commercial-free, student-driven content in music, news, sports, and public affairs.

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