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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16,000 Amazon employees just lost their jobs. Are we in a tech recession?
It's the latest in a series of tech layoffs over the past few years that have pushed Seattle’s unemployment rate well above the national rate.
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Lessons from the state that made child care free
In November, New Mexico became the first state to launch free, universal child care. So what can Washington learn from the state that managed to pull it off?
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How a bad bet built the internet: a short history of bubbles
Sometimes, an economic crash leaves something good behind that we may not appreciate for years. This week, we look at bubbles from the past and ask: When the money burns away, what’s left?
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Housing costs dropped in Austin. How they did the impossible
Over the last few years, Austin's average rent fell. So what is Austin doing right? And what could Seattle learn from it?
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Host Picks: Sailmaking, Soul Radio, and the Olympic Marmot
It's New Year's Eve, and Soundside looks back on a set of segments produced by members of the team who have since moved on to bigger & better things!
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How stores are spying on you (encore)
How AI is being used by some of your favorite retailers to get better at... selling you stuff. This story originally aired in December 2024.
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What happens to Seattle if the AI bubble pops?
Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the AI infrastructure of the future. But companies are struggling to make a profit on the AI of today. So, is that future real, or just a mirage?
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BONUS: The future of Seattle's highways
Live event recorded at the Seattle Public Library hosted by Joshua McNichols and Ian Coss about the future of Seattle's State Route 99.
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Is coding dead? This professor doesn't think so
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Is coding dead? This professor doesn't think so
Companies appear to be making big bets that AI can replace huge chunks of their workforces. But this computer science professor says the outlook isn’t so bleak for kids who still want a career in tech.