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 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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Seattle area scientist leads U.S. efforts toward 'holistic picture' of the climate crisis
To understand the widespread effects of climate change on the domestic level, the Biden administration announced in April that it was creating a new study, sold as the most ambitious, all-encompassing review ever of the United States' natural world. The administration tapped conservation scientist and University of Washington professor Phil Levin to lead that research.
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Fires are burning down forests meant for carbon offsets. What happens after?
In 2021 Oregon’s Bootleg fire burned over 400,000 acres in the southern part of the state. A good chunk of that forest area is managed by the Green Diamond timber company. But the Bootleg fire didn’t just mean a reduction in the amount of lumber Green Diamond could harvest; in recent years the company, like many other landowners and forest managers, has begun designating land for carbon offsets.
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'The most dense and consolidated damage I've seen': A WA firefighter's dispatches from Maui
As western Maui begins to heal after deadly wildfires, first responders are searching destroyed homes, assisting displaced people, and distributing supplies. Personnel from Washington state are on the ground for that effort.
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Washington state serves up solidarity, relief for Maui wildfire victims
The Puget Sound region is home to one of the largest populations of Hawaiians outside of the islands, and many more people here have developed a connection with Hawaii while visiting the islands. Over the weekend, networks of Hawaiians and supporters, communicating on social media, sprang into action to organize Seattle-area relief efforts.
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What can the past tell us about the future of the PAC-12?
Pour one out for the PAC-12. Or... the PAC-4. Who knows, by the end of the day it may be the PAC-2. The prestigious west coast college athletics conference imploded last week as two pacific northwest schools jumped ship for bigger rivals and even bigger paychecks. Washington and Oregon will join the Big Ten starting in 2024. But while realignment of this scale is seismic, it isn't unprecedented.
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Cyclists bring lawsuit over injuries on the Burke-Gilman's "missing link"
The Burke Gilman’s missing link has been a consistent problem for cyclists and the city of Seattle alike. The missing link is a stretch of road bikers are pushed onto because of a gap in the protected bike route on The Burke Gilman Trail. This gap pushes riders into regular traffic and includes a tricky railroad crossing that can catch riders' tires and cause an accident.
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Hear it Again: An ode to the 'makers' of Washington state
Soundside is looking back on stories "made in Washington." Well, technically, all Soundside stories are “made” in Washington. But we're talking about the art and artisanship that’s made — and inspired by — our state.
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Hear it Again: Are we approaching a post-social media future?
Since tech mogul Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion last October, one of social media's biggest giants has gone through an eye-popping overhaul. This week, Musk announced the next domino to fall: Twitter has a new name -- the letter "X."
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RadioActive alum explores the lasting impacts of concussions
According to the CDC, in 2020, approximately 12% of teenagers showed symptoms from experiencing a concussion. Conor Gormally was one of those kids -- in fact, he experienced multiple concussions throughout his teenage years, all of which led to differing kinds of symptoms.
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Yakima Valley residents may get a reset on their legislative district lines
Washington’s 15th Legislative District stretches through five counties in the south-central part of the state — including Yakima and the Tri Cities — and pretty much no one thinks its borders have been mapped correctly. After numerous legal challenges, those lines could very well change ahead of the 2024 election season.