The Pay Phone That Lets San Franciscans ‘Call a Republican' episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 23, 2026 · 21 MIN

The Pay Phone That Lets San Franciscans ‘Call a Republican'

from The Bay · host KQED

For several weeks, a red pay phone sat outside a tattoo parlor in San Francisco’s Mission District — with a sign reading ‘Call a Republican.’ If you picked it up, a blue pay phone with the sign ‘Call a Democrat’ in the conservative city of Abilene, Texas would ring. This project, created by a company called Matter Neuroscience, aimed to connect Americans from vastly different backgrounds via the old-fashioned phone.  Links: What Happens When Democrats in San Francisco Call Up Republicans in Texas? It’s Pretty Cordial | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 23, 2026

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The Pay Phone That Lets San Franciscans ‘Call a Republican'

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