Matt Holzman, Longtime Los Angeles Public Radio Host and Producer, Dies at 56

Matt Holzman’s colleagues in the media industry paid tribute to the man who “in many ways … was KCRW.”

Matt Holzman
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Matt Holzman, the beloved host and producer of countless shows that filled the Los Angeles airwaves from KCRW public radio, died Sunday, the station said. He was 56.

The longtime radioman had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last year, according to the station. He passed “with his family and love around him,” KCRW said in a tribute post on its website. He is survived by partner and KCRW colleague Adria Kloke.

Though Holzman was at the helm of several KCRW shows, he was surprisingly not a broadcaster by trade. He actually majored in computer science and went on to work for the Anderson Consulting firm in Chicago. Holzman moved back to his home base of Southern California and joined KCRW as a board operator in 1989. His prolific career there spanned three decades, and he went on to help launch some of the stations best-known shows: “Press Play,” “The Business” and “Matt’s Movies.” He also created the podcast “The Document,” which spawned from his love of documentaries and brought real-life stories to KCRW. The series also led to a screening series of the same name, for which Holzman was a curator.

Holzman’s colleagues in the media industry paid tribute to the man who “in many ways … was KCRW.” See the heartfelt messages below.

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