Interview with Journalist Frances Anderton

摘要

WHEN BRITISH design journalist Frances Anderton first visited Los Angeles in 1987 as a cub reporter for the Architectural Review, she found herself smack in the middle of the city's vibrant design scene. Her first assignments, part of a special issue on L.A., had her rubbing elbows with Frank Gehry and Thorn Mayne and scouting wild new buildings like an Eric Owen Moss-designed warehouse and a KFC franchise shaped like a gigantic chicken bucket. Anderton relocated to the city permanently in 1991 and became an editor at LA Architect, and later a producer for the influential radio programs Which Way, L.A. ? and To the Point for local NPR affiliate KCRW. Architects, however, are most likely to know Anderton for her beloved program DnA: Design and Architecture, which has made her something of design's Terry Gross. Since 2002, Anderton has chronicled the dramas that continue to shape the City of Angels, from the never-ending LACMA redesign saga to the transformation of the L.A. River, through the voices of guests ranging from Zaha Hadid to Ben Stiller. In September, the Los Angeles Times broke the news that 24 KCRW employees, including Anderton, would be taking buyouts due to the financial strain of Covid-19. The Twitter reaction was swift ("No it can't be true?!?!!!" lamented Barbara Bestor), though Anderton is quick to remind you that she'll be at the station through December 15. record caught up with the journalist at home in Santa Monica to reflect on her time as DnA's host.