Ben Adler
Director of Programming and Audience Development

Ben first became a public radio listener in the car on his way to preschool — though not necessarily by choice. He made his radio debut (and blatant early mistakes) at Northwestern University’s student radio station, WNUR. There, he spent much of his time broadcasting sports; a news internship at Chicago Public Radio gradually helped bring him over from the “dark side.” He spent the summer of 2003 broadcasting Minor League Baseball in Great Falls, Montana, before turning full-time to public radio. After several years covering the Monterey Bay Area and hosting All Things Considered for NPR member station KAZU, he joined CapRadio in August 2007.
At CapRadio, Ben has held multiple roles within the Content Department. He started as the station’s Sacramento Region reporter, and soon hosted All Things Considered and anchored afternoon newscasts while continuing to cover the local news beat. In February 2011, Ben moved to CapRadio’s Capitol Bureau, where his love of politics made him a natural fit. A year later, he was named Capitol Bureau Chief, and for the next eight years, he led CapRadio’s statewide news coverage that airs on NPR stations throughout California.
Ben now serves as CapRadio’s Director of Programming and Audience Development, a position on the Content Department leadership team that he’s held since January 2020. As the lead advocate for CapRadio’s audience, he’s responsible for the “sound of the station” across all of CapRadio’s platforms — including radio, web streams and podcasts. Ben lives in Sacramento, where his wife, three children and several pets tolerate his love for public radio, baseball, scotch and poker.
Listening habits are changing, so we're revamping CapRadio's weekday news schedule
April 30, 2022
As the pandemic and on-demand listening continue to affect our daily lives, we're changing our schedule to better reflect those new routines and needs by making sure CapRadio has the latest live information all day long.
CapRadio Welcomes Code Switch, Life Kit And Throughline To Broadcast Schedule
August 25, 2021
The three popular NPR podcasts highlight a new CapRadio News program lineup that also includes an expanded Sunday afternoon Storytelling Block.
This Election Week, CapRadio Is Going Live — All Day, Every Day
October 31, 2020
This election week, CapRadio’s Programming, News, Insight, Operations and Tech teams have put together an unprecedented coverage plan: We’re going live — both national and local — all day, every day … and late into Election Night.
CapRadio Adds Limited-Run Programs To Help You ‘Vote with Clarity’ This Election
October 6, 2020
To help you navigate this election with clarity and transparency, and to lift up the voices of people who have historically been left out of campaign coverage, we’re excited to announce some temporary changes to our CapRadio News program schedule.
Conversations, Storytelling And Science Highlight CapRadio’s Fresh Program Schedule
August 6, 2020
As our nation and our region navigate a pandemic, protests and politics, CapRadio is increasing our responsiveness to the news during the week while adding new weekend shows that offer moments of reflection and respite.
CapRadio Welcomes It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders to Our Program Schedule
June 25, 2020
Effective Saturday, June 27, we’re thrilled to add one of NPR’s top podcasts and weekend shows to our program schedule. It’ll air each Saturday at 11 a.m., with Ask Me Another shifting to Sundays at noon.
CapRadio’s New Weeknight Schedule Adds New National Conversations From NPR, The New York Times
March 23, 2020
NPR’s “The National Conversation with All Things Considered” will now air each weekday from 6-7 p.m. Then, catch the day’s business news with Marketplace at 7 p.m. and enjoy The Daily from The New York Times at 7:30 p.m.
Sacramento City Unified School District Announces Temporary 3-Day Closure Next Week
March 12, 2020
The Sacramento region’s third-largest school district has said it will shut down for at least three days next week so that classrooms and common areas could be cleaned and disinfected, in hopes of preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Reporter’s Notebook: Tolerance Or Tantrums? It’s Not Just Politicians Who Need To Choose
January 6, 2020
As a veteran California Capitol reporter leaves the beat, he digs back into his reporter’s notebook to reflect on our growing polarization. His takeaway? Just because you disagree with someone’s political views, it doesn’t make them a bad person.
Companies Like Uber, Facebook Say They Won't Need To Adjust To New California Laws
December 24, 2019
As California seeks to crack down on worker misclassification, predatory lending and consumer data privacy, some companies are fighting back — by flat-out refusing to comply with new laws that they say don’t apply to them.