Alec Cowan
Senior Podcast Producer
About
Alec Cowan is a senior podcast producer at KUOW, where he works on Booming and other podcast projects.
Alec has worn many hats at KUOW. He helped launch Soundside and brought many eclectic stories to the program, from a late-night patrol with real life superheroes to the sewing machine sounds of an artisanal sail loft. Additionally, he was previously a producer for The Record with Bill Radke and the Primed podcast.
Before joining KUOW Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than a Riot podcast, about hip-hop and mass incarceration, and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking.
He's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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Could studying how dogs age help us understand the ways humans do?
Dogs share so much of their lives with humans and can develop the same health conditions we do, like dementia or diabetes. Those similarities drove researchers to wonder if our medical science can help dogs live longer — and if maybe, our furry friends could tell us something about how we age, too.
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Woolly dogs once provided fleece for Coast Salish tribes. What happened to them?
Outside of alpacas, woolly dogs were one of the few indigenous animals providing wool in the Americas. And for centuries, woolly dogs were at the center of tribal life throughout the Coast Salish world. Since the 19th century, however, these dogs are considered extinct. Today, a resurfaced specimen at the Smithsonian Institution is helping broaden the scientific and tribal understanding of the woolly dog's genetics and role in Coast Salish life.
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Looking back and looking ahead: the 50-year anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
Since it was passed, the ESA has listed more than 1,600 species for protection, and the overwhelming majority of listed animals have been saved from extinction. What have we learned in the last 50 years about how we can better protect the environment – and what lessons can we take with us into the next 50 years of the Endangered Species Act?
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After Alaska flight loses door plug at 16,000 feet, questions about Boeing Max planes linger
On Friday, 20 minutes after takeoff and at an elevation of 16,000 feet, a door plug on the side of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 ripped off midair. As oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, some of the 171 passengers took videos on their phones of the gaping hole in the side of the jet. After quickly circling back to Portland, Ore., the plane landed safely. Now all the attention is on what could have happened aboard that Boeing 737 Max 9.
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Celebrating the day ‘the sun turns around’ in the Pacific Northwest
Each December, tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest mark the winter solstice with what’s known as “Indian New Year.” The festivities include a feast commemorating the shortest day of the year, the return of longer days, and, eventually, springtime harvest.
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Tips for sorting online fact from fiction
Hoaxes, scams and bogus content are always lurking on the internet. But with a presidential election looming and social media companies pulling away from content moderation, 2024 is primed for a new level of nonsense. So how do you sort fact from fiction?
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Producer picks: posthumous poetry, historical searches, and spring football
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Remembering 'the cow that stole Christmas,' 20 years later
Twenty years ago, on Dec. 23, panic descended on Central Washington and the nation’s cattle industry over a single cow. Today, many locals in Mabton know this event as, "the cow that stole Christmas."
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More urban pharmacies are disappearing. What's driving the closures?
In 2020, chairman George D. Bartell said the sale of his 130-year-old family company was the only option. Regional operators like Bartell Drugs just couldn’t compete in the pharmacy business anymore. But now, after acquiring Bartell, Rite Aid itself is in a deep hole. Since the acquisition, Rite Aid has closed 21 of 68 Bartell locations, along with some of its own stores. So why are pharmacies struggling to stay afloat?
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In 'Heartbreak City,' Seattle sports are a product of its politics — and vice versa
For many, the spheres of sports and politics are totally separate arenas: one is a fun and low-stakes pastime, the other is a struggle for real-world power. But in his new book, “Heartbreak City: Seattle Sports and the Unmet Promise of Urban Progress,” author Shaun Scott makes the case that sports and politics have more in common than meets the eye. Going back to the city’s early roots, "Heartbreak City" traces the stories of athletes and activists who made Seattle an athletic and political powerhouse.
