The San Francisco Experience

The San Francisco Experience

We are a data driven news commentary podcast with Global Reach, serving listeners in more than 65 countries. Our mission is to give the listener succinct, fact based analysis both non-ideological and independent from a California, Silicon Valley perspective, featuring newsmakers, thought leaders and authors as guests.

Your host

Jim Herlihy is a published author: his novel “Deceit and Dirty Money” is available on line. He served as President of the SF Public Library Commission 1992 - 1996. While working in Latin America, he was a stringer for The Economist, The Times and the BBC. Jim serves as a director on two SF sister city boards : Bangalore, India and Cork, Ireland.

LogoTSFEP was named top 25 California News Podcasts by Feedspot.com

Recent Episodes

Jan. 16, 2025

The Los Angeles Wildfires: What we know so far. Talking with Shaun Chang of the Movie and TV Blog, Hill Place.

The LA wildfires continue to rage and the dry, easterly Santa Ana winds show little sign of abating. The political consequences for the LA Mayor and California Governor may prove to be dire.
Jan. 15, 2025

The Holy Land at War. A journey through Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Speaking with author Mark Patinkin.

Two months after the October 7th attack by Hamas on a Music Festival and Kibbutz in Israel, Mark Patinkin, a veteran journalist for the Providence Journal, went to Israel to cover firsthand the attack and Gaza War. Unlike ma…
Jan. 9, 2025

Freeman's Challenge: The murder that shook America's original prison for profit. Talking with Professor Robin Bernstein.

Auburn Correctional Facility, a Max Security Prison, was originally founded in 1816 as a for profit prison. To this day, it still manufactures all the license plates for New York State.
Dec. 14, 2024

Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American English. Talking with author, Professor Ben Yagoda.

Britishisms are becoming an increasing part of Americans’ vocabulary. Pop culture, writers , movies and theater are all sources of the new British Invasion - the largest one since the Beatles in the 1960s
Dec. 11, 2024

The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai became a billionaire, Hong Kong's greatest dissident, and China's most feared critic. Talking with author Mark L. Clifford.

Jimmy Lai is a successful Hong Kong entrepreneur who came from China when he was 12 and became a billionaire. But he ran afoul of the CCP because of his political beliefs and has been in jail for 4 years. But family and frie…
Dec. 5, 2024

The Latino Century: How Americas' largest minority is transforming Democracy. Talking with author Mike Madrid. h

45% of Latino males voted for Donald Trump primarily for economic reasons like cost of living, inflation and interest rates.

Recent Blog Posts

Peking to Paris 2019 Motor Rally with Jim Gately

The 8500 mile rally began in 1907, was revived in 1997 and draws participants from around the world. Jim Gately of Incline Village, Nevada set out on the 34 day trek in 2019 across Asia and Europe with 105 other participants. Jim will join The San …

Ruth Paine, one of the few surviving Warren Commission witnesses, to appear on TSFEP.

Ruth Paine befriended Lee and Marina Oswald in February 1963. From April 1963 until November 22, 1963 they lived with her at her suburban Dallas home. She will be my guest on The San Francisco Experience next Thursday to share her memories and Warr…

Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon.

William D. Cohan, New York Times best selling author has written a sweeping history of General Electric and its CEO in the 1980s and 90s Jack Welch. The book has earned plaudits from The New Yorker and The Financial Times as one of the Best Books of…

TSFEP was named top 25 California News Podcasts by Feedspot.com