AirTalk Staff

Larry Mantle has been the host of AirTalk on KPCC since April 1st, 1985, making it the longest continuously airing daily talk program in Southern California. Since then, the fourth-generation Angeleno has interviewed thousands of prominent guests on an extraordinary array of topics, and received many journalistic awards in the process. Larry grew up in southwest Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Hollywood. He's a graduate of Hollywood High School and Vanguard University of Southern California. Larry and his wife Kristen are the parents of Desmond.

Linda Othenin-Girard is senior producer of AirTalk. She started in radio at KPFK in Los Angeles during the late '80's after living for 13 years in Switzerland. She honed her radio skills with Feminist Magazine and working in the KPFK newsroom. After taking classes in radio broadcasting at Pasadena City College Linda did several stints as an on-air music announcer, and in 1992 began producing AirTalk. She hosted KPCC's Talk of the City for two years, leaving the air to become the senior producer of AirTalk in 2001, "the best job in the world." She lives in L.A. with her Swiss husband and her Irish Terrier. Linda has two sons, one at Skidmore College and the other studying Japanese in Berkeley.

Jackie Oclaray has been producing Larry Mantle's AirTalk and FilmWeek since 1998. She began at KPCC in 1997 as one of the original producers of Talk of the City. Producing AirTalk and FilmWeek is the perfect mix for Jackie because she's a news junkie with an insatiable love for film. The only thing that might pull her away from the news is a ticket to Dodger Stadium. Jackie has lived abroad in Heidelberg, Germany and traveled throughout Europe and the U.S., but her favorite place on earth is a beach where she can surf.

AirTalk producer Chumi Paul began her journey in public radio as an intern and part-time reporter at Honolulu NPR affiliate KHPR. Born in Seoul, Korea, she grew up in Kailua, Hawaii, and spent time in Japan, Greece, and New York before settling in Los Angeles. She was a Larry Mantle fan for many years before coming to KPCC in 2000, and she's been working for the show ever since. As a reporter Chumi loved investigating new stories, writing, and producing but disliked being on the air, so working behind-the-scenes on AirTalk suits her perfectly. In her spare time she enjoys reading history, swimming, cooking, and occasionally knitting, although she's not very good at it. Chumi lives in Pasadena with her daughter Olivia.

AirTalk producer Mindy Steinman was born in Los Angeles, raised in Philadelphia, and lived in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, England, and Rhode Island, before arriving back in L.A. She has traveled numerous career paths; previous roads took her from television production to acting, from travel writer to tour guide. Her brain is therefore filled with an alarming number of facts about musical theatre, soap operas, theme parks, and out of the way places to fly for the weekend (providing you own your own plane). Before joining the AirTalk production team, Mindy was KPCC's Weekend Host. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and is waiting for the day when KPCC makes her mat class a mandatory follow up to all staff meetings.

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