Ruth Seymour, tastemaker who made KCRW a public radio powerhouse, dies at 88

Ruth Seymour, the longtime radio executive who built KCRW into a public media powerhouse in the late 20th century, transforming the sonic landscape of Los Angeles and beyond, died on Friday. “The program ended and ‘All Things Considered’ came on the air,” Seymour recalled in an essay years later. “She was not an easy person to work for, to say the least,” said retired host Olney, whom Seymour hired in 1992 after the L.A. riots to strengthen KCRW’s local news offerings. “If not for Ruth, we still might have the other title.” Seymour’s most enduring effect on music was her years overseeing KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” an inspiration to producers and indie music fans all over. Of Seymour’s era at KCRW, “the single most enduring thing is ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic,” Ferro said.