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Libby Denkmann

Host, Soundside

About

Libby Denkmann has covered veterans' issues, homelessness, and local politics during her radio journalism career. She became the host of KUOW's Soundside in November 2021. Previously she was a producer, reporter, anchor, and host for stations KIRO, KFI, and KPCC in Seattle and Los Angeles. During a yearlong hiatus from journalism in 2011, she worked as a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C.. Libby was born in Seattle, grew up on the eastside, and graduated from the University of Washington. Her favorite things include soccer, video games, and her dog, Monty.

Location: Seattle

Languages: English, limited Japanese and Portuguese

Pronouns: she/her

Podcasts

Stories

  • Washington has a data center problem

    Last week, Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order to evaluate data centers’ impact on energy use, state tax revenue, and job creation.  The executive order follows a Seattle Times and ProPublica investigation into the impacts of the state’s power-guzzling data center industry. 

  • The struggle to restrict cell phones in Washington schools

    A growing body of research shows that cell phones inhibit learning and distract students in class. But should they be banned in schools? It’s a question that districts across Washington state are struggling with. 

  • USAID in Seattle, Musk-opoly, and a chick off the old block

    Politics right now it feels like everything is shifting all the time. KUOW Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay joins the show for this grab bag episode on trickling federal changes, Tesla legislation, and a passed down painting.

  • The lights go down... for now... on the Grand Illusion Cinema

    Soundside took a trip down the Ave to the Grand Illusion Cinema to catch up with the volunteers who have kept the little theater afloat for over 20 years. While their final screening (for now) was held Friday night, the staff shared their thoughts on the closing, and their hopes for the future.

  • Rep. Adam Smith on the legality of the foreign aid freeze

    U.S. foreign aid is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. It’s left organizations that provide services like HIV treatment, famine relief, and landmine removals scrambling to make sense of what comes next.

  • Understanding Ozempic — how GLP-1 has changed weight loss

    After just a few years on the market, a new wave of GLP-1 drugs approved for weight loss have upended what we know about obesity. Soundside spoke with Dr. David Cummings about recent data dives into the widespread use of GLP-1 medications, and what those studies tell us about how we think of obesity. 

  • Landmine removal group pauses work after foreign aid freeze

    The United States is drastically retooling its foreign aid to meet a new presidential administration's “America First” goals, including a 90 day freeze on aid funds. Soundside speaks with a landmine removal organization about what this means for their work..