> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Authority on all things L.A - URL: https://www.smdp.com/authority-on-all-things-l-a/ - Published: 2007-07-26T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:22:12.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Olney doesn’t miss a beat* SANTA MONICA COLLEGE From the destruction of the Los Angeles riots, which magnified racial tensions and effectively tore a city apart, emerged the uniting voice of Southern California. Through his keen observations, Warren Olney — a fourth-generation Californian — has lent a local perspective to some of the most challenging issues facing the nation, covering topics such as workforce housing, charter schools and immigration on his half-hour radio program “Which Way, L.A.” The show was created in response to the LA riots on April 29, 1992, providing a forum for those covering the biggest civil disturbance in Southern California in decades, following the Watts riots of the 1960s. “Which Way, L.A.” marked its 15th year in April of this year — a decade-and-half in which the news show has grown to become one of the most popular radio programs in Southern California. The show is produced each weekday from the small KCRW station on Santa Monica College’s campus, attracting an audience of approximately 17,000 listeners at any one time and more than 22,000 podcast down-loads in June, according to Will Lewis, the management consultant for KCRW. The locally based station is the leading National Public Radio affiliate in the Southland. The enduring popularity of “Which Way, L.A.” and its host helped jump-start the creation of “To the Point” in 2000\. Focusing on broader national issues, the one-hour program — also hosted by Olney — is syndicated in 15 different markets nationwide. Each program draws about 50,000 listeners a day. It was in 1992, when Olney was sitting before a television and watching the riots unfold, that his heart broke. The city of L.A. was being torn to shreds. A former television reporter, Olney was unemployed at the time, the journalist within him frustrated that he couldn’t cover the riots... until the phone rang. On the other end of the line was Ruth Seymour, the general manager for KCRW, pitching a proposal for Olney to report on the riots via a new radio show. “The idea was to sort of probe the biggest civil disturbance in the United States in the 20th Century and find out what was behind it,” Olney said last week. “What we ended up doing was give a voice to the people who felt they hadn’t been heard, which... everybody agrees was one of the causes of great frustrations.” “Whether it was the cause of the riot or not, I don’t know.” The show proved to be a bandage for those touched by the riots. One year after the infighting began, producers decided to air a special six-hour “Which Way, LA,” featuring guests who had been interviewed on the program’s inception year. “The show is core to the civic life of this city, and Warren keeps it civil, too,” said Sarah Spitz, one of the original producers of the show. “It’s a rare quality these days.” Olney has conducted 25,000 separate interviews over the past 15 years — the most memorable being the one he just completed. He doesn’t give special weight to any one guest, something he learned as a child growing up, when his father — an assistant Attorney General under President Eisenhower — would take him around the Capitol, introducing him to all the U.S. senators. “He just wanted me to know they all put their pants on one leg at a time and they’re just like everyone else. I’ve tried to maintain that attitude and perspective,” said Olney, who has lived near Venice since 1972. The show helped unite angry and confused Angelenos at a time when their city was greatly segregated, a disconnectivity between the subcultures existing within the city, said Frances Anderton, producer of “Which Way, LA.” Anderton has been a volunteer at KCRW for the past decade, claiming she jumped from the architectural world to radio primarily because of “Which Way, LA.” She is also the host of “Design and Architecture,” a talk show on KCRW. “I didn’t know it would cause a change in careers,” Anderton said. “I definitely think (the show) was a significant moment for LA — having a journalist who truly drew in all these voices in the city.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/072607-02_01.jpg) NEWS VET: KCRW’s Warren Olney has hosted ‘Which Way, L.A.’ for 15 years. (Photo: Photo courtesy Gregg Lewis) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 26, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)