Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Tijuana Culture

    Tijuana went from party city to war zone in the space of a single year. It was 2008 and a wave of brazen narco violence had washed over the city; homicides had tripled from the previous year. Businesses shuttered, tourism dried up, the people of the city lived in fear for their lives, and a burgeoning arts scene went into hibernation.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Nov 4, 2015 • 1 min read

    Tijuana went from party city to war zone in the space of a single year. It was 2008 and a wave of brazen narco violence had washed over the city; homicides had tripled from the previous year. Businesses shuttered, tourism dried up, the people of the city lived in fear for their lives, and a burgeoning arts scene went into hibernation. But today, the arts scene is coming back in a big way.

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    Obamacare Challenges, White Mortality Rates, and Dark Matter
    1. 0:00Obamacare Challenges
    2. 8:20Mortality Rate Rising for Middle-Aged Whites
    3. 16:37Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs
    4. 31:03CA Language Learners
    5. 39:33Tijuana CultureYou’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Carolina Miranda

      culture critic and author of KCRW’s Art Insider newsletter

      News

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    Obamacare Challenges, White Mortality Rates, and Dark Matter
    1. 0:00Obamacare Challenges
    2. 8:20Mortality Rate Rising for Middle-Aged Whites
    3. 16:37Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs
    4. 31:03CA Language Learners
    5. 39:33Tijuana CultureYou’re reading this
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand