Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
About
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. Proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Prior to joining Soundside, Alec wore many hats at KUOW. He was a producer for The Record with Bill Radke and Primed seasons two and three . He also reported an episode of SoundQs detailing how prohibition forever changed Seattle policing and assisted with reporting a breakthrough cold case solved with the use of genetic genealogy.
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.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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Arts & Life
Hear it again: the seedy side of America's favorite pastime
From sign stealing, to adding just a little bit of extra spit on the ball, professional baseball has created plenty of ways to fool crowds and umpires.But there's a fine line between the written and unwritten rules of the game.It makes you wonder, where is the line between innovation and cheating in baseball?
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Environment
How technology is mapping the unheard conversations of our natural world
When you step into a forest, or walk along a beach, there's a lot to take in -- the sound of waves, crashing against the sand, birds chirping to each other in the trees. But there's a lot we don't hear
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Environment
Hear It Again: Barriers to Recreation
Soundside talks to Rico Bembry of the Black Washingtonians Workgroup on Recreation, about the challenges faced by communities of color as they enjoy the outdoors.
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Environment
Hear It Again: Seattle Mountain Rescue
Soundside talks with David Dunphy of Seattle Mountain Rescue about their mission, and their new headquarters in North Bend.
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Science
Space, our final dumping ground. Can we clean it up?
Last week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced a new bill calling for the removal of "space junk." The Orbital Sustainability Act, or the ORBITS Act, aims to promote the development of technology and methods to clean up rocket and satellite debris orbiting Earth.
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Government
A national railroad strike was averted, but remains possible as unions vote this week
The Biden administration helped broker a tentative deal that will affect 120,000 rail workers across the country. While many are celebrating the aversion of a potentially disastrous shutdown, some workers have reservations about the new deal. And with a worker vote set for Thursday, rail companies are not out of the tunnel just yet.
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Environment
Seattle's urban forest is shrinking. How can it grow?
In 2007, Seattle's urban forest management plan set a goal for 30% of the city to be canopied, meaning covered with urban trees. However, a recent report from the city showed that Seattle's canopy actually decreased by 1.7% over the last five years -- an area roughly the size of Green Lake.
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Environment
Washington is starting new prescribed burns. Will they prevent bigger wildfires?
It's been close to two decades since Washington state last did a "broadcast burn," a kind of prescribed burn that sweeps forest floors of potential fire fuel. Prescribed burns are gaining in use throughout fire-prone states as land managers look to imitate natural cycles and move away from a "no-burn" standard of management.
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Law & Courts
Washington judge finds Facebook violated campaign disclosure law
Washington V. Meta, brought to court by Attorney General Bob Ferguson against Meta, Facebook's parent company, concluded that Facebook ran local political advertisements throughout Washington state without properly disclosing information about who ran them. In response to Facebook's argument that the disclosure law is unconstitutional, King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North called it "very constitutional."
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Government
Hear it again: Two years after fire decimated Malden and Pine City, how are they rebuilding?
Two years ago this week, a massive wildfire in Eastern Washington nearly destroyed the towns of Malden and Pine City. The Babb Road Fire burned 15,000 acres and hundreds of buildings. While progress has been slow, the people of Malden and Pine City are rebuilding and charting a new path forward.