Listen: Remembering Alan Farley

The Bay Area arts world recently lost one of its greatest champions. The voice of KALW, Alan Farley, passed away on Sunday, October 21, after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 76 years old.

The loss has been enormous for our station. Farley was the weekday voice of 91.7FM, transitioning listeners through our schedule of programs, and hosting several of his own.

Over the course of 37 years at KALW, our entire audience benefited from Farley’s deep knowledge and love of the arts.

At the time of his passing, Farley was on KALW’s air more than 30 hours a week. He hosted Book Talk, interviewing  authors from around the globe. He chatted with performing artists on Open Air. And he brought us the biographies of the Bay Area’s most extraordinary talents by letting them play their cherished music and tell their life stories on My Favorite Things.

KALW is holding a memorial for Farley on Monday, November 19th, during Thanksgiving week, from 5-8pm at the War Memorial Veteran’s Building – home of Herbst Theatre – in the Green Room. It’s a place that represents Farley's love for the performing arts community, and their love for him.