John Rabe Host, Off-Ramp
- Phone: (626) 583-5175
John Rabe is the creator and host of Off-Ramp, KPCC's weekend news and arts magazine program, which has been named "best local public affairs show" by two national journalism associations.
Prior to his time on Off-Ramp, Rabe was KPCC's host for "All Things Considered" and the station's housing & healthcare reporter, for which he garnered many awards – including several Golden Mikes.
Rabe began his career as a commercial DJ in high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, then found his niche as reporter and anchor at WKAR, Michigan State University's public radio station, where he earned his BA in English.
Rabe has also worked in public radio in South Florida, at WHYY in Philadelphia, and Minnesota Public Radio. He came to KPCC in 2000. Off-Ramp debuted in 2006.
He lives with his husband and Irish terriers in the foothills of Mt Washington, north of downtown LA.
Stories by John Rabe
Huell Howser is retiring: An Off-Ramp remembrance
His shows told the stories of thousands of Californians and helped millions more learn about California's history. He's reportedly retiring, but he's left his mark on the state.
Esa-Pekka Salonen's long walk home
@esapekkasalonen: Got carried away, ran almost to Malibu, now have to get back to Santa Mo somehow, knee hurting, no wallet. Any tweeters on PCH right now?
Paul Krassner's Groucho Acid Test
When they both took LSD, Groucho was seeing visions of gothic cathedrals, but Krassner saw cockroaches; and when John and Yoko were smoking their pot/opium joints, Yoko said, "Put another cookie on the fire."
Walking Out of History, the backstory
"Out of whose womb came the ice, and the hoary frost of Heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen." (Ernest Shackleton's favorite Bible verse.)
A photo by Herman Schultheis
Who is Mrs Morton? What happened in Guatemala?
Gordon Henderson and the Adventure of the Sewer Snake
It started as a routine call to the plumber. Tree roots in the sewer. But what happened next, according to KPCC's Gordon Henderson, defied imagination.
"Stay calm." Matt DeBord on the hike in the median housing price
While the news looks superficially good — sales are up, prices are rising, foreclosures are down — the market remains distorted.
PHOTOS: 'Frozen wing' of LA hotel to be opened after 75 years
I peered into the upper floors through binoculars. I'd like to say I saw a typewriter, a feather boa, a chintz bedspread, and a skeleton in a fedora in the tub.
'Classic Dining: America's Finest Mid-Century Restaurants'
Skip lunch, ditch the sneakers, and put on your sportcoat, honey, because tonight we're celebrating at the Dal Rae supperclub in Pico Rivera! You'll think you've been somewhere.
Did old-school gay performer Ray Bourbon have a sex-change in the 1950s?
"He was perhaps the most well-known and well-traveled performer in Gay venues during the last century, but he remains largely forgotten today..."
Meet the new KPCC journalists, and learn their secrets
Listen to find out which reporter has pet jellyfish, which host sings Rasberry Beret on Karaoke night, and which staffer admits to liking the band Coldplay.
Message from Rabe
This week, to remind you of the happiness Off-Ramp has brought you in those seven months, we're posting some of our favorite stories.
(SPOILER ALERT) Two plot holes in Skyfall, the new Bond
You (gladly) give up the expectation of total reality in any James Bond film, but two plot points stick in my craw after seeing "Skyfall" last night.
Mike Sheehan's Election Day sketchbook
Artist Mike Sheehan travelled Southern California on Election Day, sketchpad in hand, capturing voters in the act of exercising their franchise.
Harbor Freight spoof hits the nail on the head
I especially like the Megalineating Variable Intensity Multifunction Power Tool that not only retranks floating lug grout but removes ear wax.
