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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Environment
Can conservation work in the face of climate change?
There are many ways to protect and conserve land here in Washington. Aside from our national and state parks and forests, we have wildlife refuges and conservation areas. Altogether those boundaries include millions of acres. But there’s one tool at the state’s disposal that only covers a fraction of land, while protecting vitally unique flora and fauna. These are called "natural areas" and are protected by the natural areas program.
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Government
An increase in eco-blocks signals a battle between parking and encampments
Ecology blocks are large slabs made from recycled concrete, with grooves on the top and bottom to help form retaining walls. But on city streets and sidewalks, they form a different kind of barrier: Deterring RVs and encampments, which have proliferated in Seattle during the pandemic.
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Arts & Life
Hear it again: A Puget Sound tech dystopia: Vauhini Vara's "The Immortal King Rao"
The fictional tech company at the center of the new book, “The Immortal King Rao,” is called “Coconut.” It’s a rough amalgamation of Apple and Microsoft of the 1980s and 1990s, driving a personal computer revolution, and later it morphs into a Google, Amazon and Facebook avatar in the way it gobbles up peoples’ data and monetizes human interaction.
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Government
The fraught political battle over national monuments
The National Park System oversees more than 400 sites across the United States. These sites range from national parks to national forests, historical sites, and recreation areas. But the most fraught conflicts over our public lands often involve national monuments, which range from remote marine sanctuaries to millions of acres of red rock desert — all designated with a presidential signature.
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Environment
How communities persevere through climate catastrophe
It can be hard in 2022 to look at climate issues and not feel despair. But across the country, communities are persevering through our new climate reality.
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Arts & Life
Remembering August Wilson's Seattle legacy
August Wilson's "Century Cycle," comprised of 10 plays detailing and exploring the life of African Americans throughout the 1900s, is famously set in his hometown of Pittsburgh. But for the last 15 years of his life Wilson lived in Seattle, drawing inspiration from café windows and conversations at the local IHOP.
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Crime
Contract workers at Nintendo of America say they faced years of sexual harassment
A new investigation by Kotaku details a "frat house" experience for female game testers at Nintendo of America, testimony that runs against the company's image of family friendly gaming.
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Environment
Fishing vessel sinks off San Juan Islands, leaking fuel
At 2:00pm on Saturday the U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call from a commercial fishing vessel named the Aleutian Isle. The vessel was near the San Juan Islands and taking on water. The crew onboard evacuated to a small skiff before being picked up by a good Samaritan, and the Aleutian Isle eventually sank to the sea floor, where it remains today.
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Arts & Life
'It's an ongoing celebration:' Ruth E. Carter on her Afrofuturistic costume designs
The Marvel film Black "Panther" has a lot to amaze audiences — stunning CGI, a roster of A-List actors. But the finer details that make Wakanda what it is aren't acted, or computer generated. They're sewn together, stitch by stitch, by an entire team off-screen.
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Arts & Life
What's the line between innovation and cheating in professional baseball?
Professional baseball has long been a proving ground for new ways to fool crowds and umpires, From sign stealing to illegal hacking operations to a little extra spit on the ball to get the perfect curve in a pitch. But there's a fine line between innovation and cheating.