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Mark Sauer
Host, The Roundtable
A newspaperman for more than 30 years, Mark Sauer joined KPBS in October 2010 and currently serves as the host of the KPBS Roundtable, airing each Friday on radio and TV.
He spent 27 years as a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune after stints at The Houston Post and at two papers in his native Michigan.
A features/human-interest writer in the UT's Currents section for many years, Mark also spent about a third of his UT career as an editor and reporter on the Metro Desk. He has covered a wide range of events: Wild fires in Southern California and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast; Super Bowls and the World Series; foster care and child-abuse issues; the Roman Catholic Diocese's sexual-abuse scandal and bankruptcy; royal visits of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Diana; Republican and Democratic national conventions; high-profile criminal trials; and many other stories, from the silly to the sublime. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from presidents to pan-handlers.
His work exposing the false accusations and prosecutions of several San Diegans for murder, rape and child abuse garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations and many regional and local journalism awards, including Best in the West, the Sol Price Award for Responsible Journalism and several San Diego and California bar-association awards.
Mark has a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Recent Stories by Mark Sauer
Roundtable: Hunter's Guilty Plea; Poway Water Woes; Al Gore
- Dec. 6
- By Bennett Lacy, Mark Sauer
No longer a witch hunt. Duncan Hunter now says he's guilty of corruption. What's next for the East County congressman and those running to replace him? An inconvenient truth. Al Gore brings his climate message to San Diego as scientists escalate their warnings for our planet. And, more than an inconvenience. How the water problem in Poway could end up costing the city millions.
Nonprofit Scoops Up Plastic Pollution From Pacific Ocean
- Dec. 5
- By Brooke Ruth, Mark Sauer
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has become a floating symbol of pollution on this planet. Ocean Voyages Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the ocean environment, is one of the groups trying to do something about it.
Roundtable: KPBS Podcasts
- Nov. 29
- By Bennett Lacy, Mark Sauer
A special episode of KPBS Roundtable features a discussion with several KPBS podcast hosts about their shows and the growth of the podcast platform.
Roundtable: Calls For White House Adviser To Resign Following Email Leak
- Nov. 22
- By Aly Sadik, Mark Sauer
Calls for White House adviser Stephen Miller to resign following a leak of controversial emails. The alarming death rate among San Diego County jail inmates. San Diego State University moves forward with its Mission Valley stadium plans.
Roundtable: Alarming Rate Of Law Enforcement Officers With Criminal Records
- Nov. 15
- By Aly Sadik, Mark Sauer
A collaborative inquiry finds hundreds of California law enforcement officers with criminal backgrounds. The nation's highest court could decide the future for nearly a million undocumented immigrants. Wildfires destroy more than structures, a look at the impact on survivors' mental health.
Roundtable: Soaring Homicide Rates In Mexico
- Nov. 8
- By Aly Sadik, Mark Sauer
Soaring homicide rates in Mexico. How America contributes to the problem. Overlooked San Diego rape kits yield DNA matches in the federal database. Dockless scooters are an economic boom, but are they really beneficial to the environment?
San Diego Climate Researcher Joins Thousands Of Scientists In Declaring A 'Climate Emergency'
- Nov. 7
- By Brooke Ruth, Mark Sauer
More than 11,000 climate scientists signed a declaration this week warning of a "climate emergency" and urging the need for new ways to measure the effects of a warming planet.
Roundtable: Wildfires Burn Across California And Northern Baja
- Nov. 1
- By Bennett Lacy, Mark Sauer
A week of strong Santa Ana winds lead to destructive fires across the state and into Baja California and precautionary power outages in San Diego County. Plus, several car companies join President Trump's push to strip California of its right to set fuel mileage standards. And, the social media rebrand for the San Diego State University College Republicans.
San Diego Nonprofit Helps Grandparents Join The Fight Against Climate Change
- Oct. 30
- By Brooke Ruth, Mark Sauer
Stay Cool for Grandkids aims to inform and engage grandparents and seniors with the goal of them becoming advocates on climate change issues.
Roundtable: Blackouts Return To California Fire Zones
- Oct. 25
- By Bennett Lacy, Mark Sauer
Preemptive power outages return to California for the second time this month; Governor Gavin Newsom asks for an investigation into high gas prices; and critics accuse the San Diego City Council of election shopping in its move to place the hotel tax vote on the March primary ballot.