KQED announced that Ericka Cruz Guevarra will take over as host of The Bay, the station’s award-winning storytelling podcast for news. Guevarra previously served as producer of the series. Guevarra replaces The Bay’s former host Devin Katayama, who is now KQED’s first Editor of Talent and Development.

Guevarra joined The Bay in 2019. Since then, she has been instrumental in covering essential local news stories for the station including the award-winning 2019 series on Vallejo policing and The Bay’s episode on the role of race in the Orinda shooting.

Guevarra first joined KQED in 2015 as KQED’s inaugural Raul Ramirez Diversity Fund intern. From there, she worked as a breaking news reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting where she won a regional Society of Professional Journalists award for her wildfire coverage. She also worked and helped produce NPR’s Code Switch team and is an alumna of NPR’s Next Generation Radio project at KJZZ in Phoenix. She returned back to KQED as a producer of The Bay in 2019.

“I’m so excited to build on what Devin has created with this show and help it continue to reach the people it’s for: Younger, more diverse audiences who care deeply about the Bay Area. I hope to be a trusted guide through some of the stories of our time, and help root people in where we live so we feel more connected to our neighbors —including those in less-covered areas of the Bay Area.” says Guevarra.

Guevarra and The Bay editor Alan Montecillo have been co-hosting the podcast on an interim basis since early September. Guevarra began hosting The Bay full-time starting November 5.