BOUNCE: Through Her Lens - Women in Sports Journalism

Hey Valkyries faithful! Join KALW’s Bounce podcast on Wednesday, August 20th for a live conversation and community gathering exploring women’s sports, culture, and movement-building in the Bay Area and beyond.

This month’s episode, Through Her Lens: Women in Sports Journalism, spotlights the unique challenges and contributions of women covering the game, from courtside to newsroom. Guests include Zena Keita, sideline reporter and rising voice in sports media, who shares her journey navigating a male-dominated industry, how her perspective shapes the stories she tells, and why representation behind the mic matters just as much as on the court.

Whether you're a fan, an aspiring journalist, or just curious about how sports narratives get made, come ready for an honest and empowering conversation about visibility, voice, and the future of women in sports media.

Zena Keita is a freelance sports reporter, podcast host and public speaker, most recently serving as a basketball podcast host at The Athletic and an on-air host for NBC Sports Bay Area. A former Yale University Division I basketball player, Zena extended her career in sports as a young, impactful executive in the NFL (Miami Dolphins) and NBA (Golden State Warriors) working on sports partnerships and sales, gaining recognition from her industry for her contributions.

​​After six fruitful years on the team side, she decided to pursue two longtime interests–sports tech and sports media. She was able to explore both by joining the sports media tech start-up, The Athletic, supporting their burgeoning partnerships efforts for two and a half years. Her newfound proximity to sports news and media inspired her to go after a lifelong dream of becoming a sports media personality, which she has since fully transitioned to in January 2024.

Sophia Jones currently serves as the Golden State Valkyries radio color analyst. Jones spent last season as the TV color analyst of Dons women’s basketball at the University of San Francisco and was the sideline reporter for the Dons’ men’s basketball program. She has done sideline reporting for the 2024 NBA California Classic and select games for the Sacramento Kings. An alumna of San Jose State University, Jones played basketball for the Spartans and called women’s basketball games for the Mountain West Network as a player while rehabbing from injury.

Janie McCauley is a national sports writer based in the Bay Area who covers the San Francisco Giants, the Golden State Warriors, the new WNBA franchise Golden State Valkyries among her other beats. McCauley has covered four Summer Olympic Games most recently swimming and volleyball in Paris last summer, and the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games. She also worked the World Cup in Brazil, two Super Bowls and four World Series. In 2006 she was named AP's Sports Writer of the Year for her coverage of Barry Bonds’ successful quest to become the baseball home run king.

She has done extensive Pr*son outreach, participating in the tennis program at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Her story on that program was posted by professional player Jessica Pegula, which prompted a documentary by the Tennis Channel. McCauley is a competitive tennis player in USTA NorCal, which she claims as her biggest victory in the sport. She is married to fellow AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow and they have two daughters, Emma and Lily.

This Month's Hosts

Erin Lim is Bay Area born-and-raised. She has called San Francisco home for two decades and has worked in various communication roles around The Bay. Erin started her career in local radio, then moved into newsrooms and cable TV productions, and then landed in PR/marketing. During her years in PR (hotel and film), she founded the award-winning culture podcast Bitch Talk and is producing a documentary called The Nomadic Family Project. Both creative projects continue to inspire her. Recently, Erin graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy and is the host of KALW’s BOUNCE, a podcast about the first season of the Golden State Valkyries.

Ben Trefny, BOUNCE executive producer, has been part of the KALW family since 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. He served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years.

His work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations. He oversees KALW’s community space at 220 Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco where he organizes town hall conversations, film screenings, literature readings, concerts, and fundraisers. He also curates the 111 Minna Street stage for Downtown First Thursdays.

About BOUNCE

"BOUNCE: The Valkyries First Season in the Bay" is a 10-episode, sound-rich, biweekly podcast. It follows the nationally award-winning "BOUNCE: The Warriors Last Season in Oakland." It's tracing the origin and evolution of Ballhalla as it unfolds in real time. It also includes features contextualizing this historical moment in women's sports and what it means to people in the Bay Area.Episodes include:- Reviewing the history of women's team sports in the United States through the sound of its great moments.- Profiling Valkyries Head Coach Natalie Nakase, the first Asian American to lead a team in the WNBA.- Launching the Bay Area's first bar dedicated to women's sportsAnd many more.Subscribe to the podcast here.Let's see what happens.

Your RSVP includes admission to Open Decks: Community Art in Motion, a collaborative art exhibition and cultural program featuring original art by 100 Bay Area artists on skateboard decks. Open Decks is on view from July 24 - September 19, 2025.

There is a $10 - $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

Please become a KALW member today and receive your first drink on us at all 220 Montgomery events.

📍 220 Montgomery St., San Francisco, 2 blocks from BART/MUNI

🚪 Reception doors open at 6:00

🗣️ Program begins at 7:00

🆓 The event is free with an RSVP — and you are welcome to donate what you want

Please note:

• The event space is just to the left of the main entrance to the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery Street
• We recommend taking BART/MUNI, exiting at Montgomery, and walking two blocks north
• Ride-shares can drop off and pick up directly in front of the venue
• If you drive, there are several garages within two blocks of the event location; free street parking is available across from the venue at 7:00 pm

Host or Publisher KALW Public Media