{{Short description|Public radio station in Seattle}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox radio station | name = KUOW-FM | logo = KUOW-FM logo 2017.svg | city = Seattle, Washington | country = US | area = Seattle metropolitan area | branding = KUOW 94.9 | frequency = 94.9 MHz {{HD Radio}} | translator = 90.7 K214EW (Bellingham) | repeater = 90.3 KQOW (Bellingham)<br>1340 KUOW (Tumwater) | airdate = 1952 | format = FM/HD1: News/Talk | erp = 100,000 watts | haat = {{convert|224|m|sp=us}} | class = C1 | facility_id = 66571 | callsign_meaning = University of Washington | former_callsigns = | former_frequencies = 90.5 MHz (1952–1958) | affiliations = NPR | owner = University of Washington | operator = KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio | webcast = {{URL|https://www.kuow.org/stream/|Listen Live}} | website = {{URL|https://kuow.org}} | licensing_authority = FCC }}
'''KUOW-FM''' (94.9 MHz) is a National Public Radio member station in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest of the three full-fledged NPR member stations in the Seattle and Tacoma media market, with two Tacoma-based stations, KNKX and KVTI being the others. It is a service of the University of Washington, but is operated by KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, a nonprofit community organization. Studios are located on University Way in Seattle's University District, while the transmitter is on Capitol Hill.
==History== thumb|right|KUOW lobby
KUOW went on the air in 1952 on 90.5 FM.<ref name="HistoryCards">[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=69781 History Cards for KUOW-FM], fcc.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2018.</ref> Its transmitter was on the University of Washington campus atop the Administration Building, now Gerberding Hall. In 1958, Dorothy Stimson Bullitt moved KING-FM to 98.1 and gifted KING's 94.9 FM transmitter and antenna to the Edison Vocational School. That same year, KUOW started using the 94.9 FM transmitter operated by Edison. KUOW is one of the few public radio (or any non-commercial educational) stations in the United States broadcasting on a frequency outside of the reserved band (88–92 MHz; Seattle is also home to KING-FM on 98.1, which became a non-commercial station in 2010).<ref>[https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/fm-translators-and-boosters FM Translators and Boosters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229054632/https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/fm-translators-and-boosters |date=December 29, 2017 }} fcc.gov July 6, 2017</ref> From its 1954 sign-on until 1987, KUOW was a sister station to educational/NET television outlet (and now PBS member station) KCTS-TV (channel 9); the university spun off KCTS in 1987 and became a community licensee.
In the 1960s, however, KUOW began branching out, adding more news programming. It was a charter member of NPR in 1970. In 1992, it changed format from music to news and information, and in 1999 it moved off campus to its current location on University Way.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 5, 2002 |title=KUOW History |url=http://www.kuow.org/history/6.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020705185828/http://www.kuow.org/history/6.html |archive-date=July 5, 2002 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Also in 1999, UW outsourced the station's operation to Puget Sound Public Radio.
In late March 2020, KUOW "made an editorial decision to stop airing White House briefings on the coronavirus pandemic live on a daily basis."<ref name="March25" /> A statement from the station asserted that the decision was not politically based, and their "greater concern was the potential impact of false information on the health and safety of our community."<ref name="March25">{{cite web |date=March 25, 2020 |title=KUOW Statement on Live White House Coronavirus Task Force Briefings |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/kuow-statement-on-live-white-house-coronavirus-task-force-briefings-35a2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325214131/https://www.kuow.org/stories/kuow-statement-on-live-white-house-coronavirus-task-force-briefings-35a2 |archive-date=March 25, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2020 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
For several weeks in January and February 2022, a technical glitch with HD Radio caused the infotainment systems of Mazda vehicles made between 2014 and 2017 to only play KUOW's signal and flash repeatedly. Mazda blamed the issue on a missing file extension in KUOW's station logo; KUOW had ruled out a theory that the rollout of 5G networks had interfered with the existing 3G data received by infotainment systems.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lacitis |first1=Eric |date=February 8, 2022 |title=Thanks to a Glitch, Some Seattle Mazda Drivers Can't Tune Their Radios Away From KUOW |language=en-US |work=The Seattle Times |publisher=The Seattle Times Company |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/thanks-to-a-glitch-some-seattle-mazda-drivers-cant-tune-their-radios-away-from-kuow/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209230559/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/thanks-to-a-glitch-some-seattle-mazda-drivers-cant-tune-their-radios-away-from-kuow/ |archive-date=February 9, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Casey |date=February 8, 2022 |title=Stuck in KUOW Purgatory: Seattle Mazda Drivers Can't Change the Radio Dial |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/we-didn-t-mean-to-ruin-your-mazda-s-stereo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209235249/https://kuow.org/stories/we-didn-t-mean-to-ruin-your-mazda-s-stereo |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Audience== KUOW reported that the station served an average of 413,600 listeners each week in 2019, down from 447,100 in 2018.<ref name="2019ar" /> The station also reported that their on-demand audio and podcasts received 2.9 million downloads total.<ref name="2019ar">{{cite web |date=2019 |title=To Tell You the Truth—Going Beyond Radio to Give You the Truth: Every Minute, Everywhere. Here's What You Made Possible in 2019. |url=https://annualreport.kuow.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324182613/https://annualreport.kuow.org/ |archive-date=March 24, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2020 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
KUOW-FM broadcasts in HD.<ref>{{cite web |title=HD Radio Guide for Seattle–Tacoma |url=http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722064640/http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=11 |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |website=hdradio.com |language=en-US}}</ref> On March 7, 2018, KUOW made the decision to discontinue the HD2, HD3, and HD4 subchannels. "KUOW2" continues to be transmitted on translator K214EW 90.7 and KQOW-HD2 in Bellingham, while KUOW Jazz was discontinued.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 7, 2018 |title=KUOW Discontinues Some of Our HD Channels |url=http://kuow.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net/post/kuow-discontinues-some-our-hd-channels/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430075426/http://kuow.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net/post/kuow-discontinues-some-our-hd-channels |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |access-date=April 30, 2019 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref> The main analog signal continues to be simulcast on HD1.
KUOW is also carried on the following satellite and broadcast translator stations to improve reception of the station:
* KQOW 90.3 FM Bellingham * KUOW 1340 AM Tumwater and Olympia
==Finances== For KUOW's fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, the station reported total revenue of $18,732,286 and total expenses of $18,339,864, for a net gain of $392,422.<ref>{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Financials |url=https://annualreport.kuow.org/docs/financials-2020.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325215045/https://annualreport.kuow.org/docs/financials-2020.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2020 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Its sources of revenue were:<ref name="2019ar" />
* 68% individuals * 24% businesses * 6% institutions such as Corporation for Public Broadcasting and University of Washington * 2% other expenses such as interest and dividends or donated services and supplies
==Programs== KUOW broadcast the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library's Evergreen Radio Reading Service to blind and handicapped listeners on its 67 kHz subcarrier, until the service's closure on August 15, 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cuta |first=Frank |date=August 15, 2014 |title=Evergreen Radio Reading Service Ending |url=http://www.wtbbl.org/Evergreen-Radio-Reading-Service-Ending.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107025420/http://www.wtbbl.org/Evergreen-Radio-Reading-Service-Ending.aspx |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |website=Washington Talking Book & Braille Library |language=en-US}}</ref> KUOW was one of three major FM stations in Washington to do so; KPBX-FM in Spokane and KFAE-FM in Yakima were the others.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 20, 2012 |title=How Do I Receive the Evergreen Radio Reading Service? |url=http://www.wtbbl.org/ERRShow.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220041456/http://www.wtbbl.org/ERRShow.aspx |archive-date=February 20, 2012 |access-date=May 31, 2015 |website=Washington Talking Book & Braille Library |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Music programming === * ''The Swing Years and Beyond'': a program that ran from 1968 to 2017 featuring jazz, swing, and blues music from the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 27, 2017 |title=The End of an Era: 'The Swing Years and Beyond' and Vinyl Café' |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-end-of-an-era-the-swing-years-and-beyond-and-vinyl-cafe |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211072817/https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-end-of-an-era-the-swing-years-and-beyond-and-vinyl-cafe |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Podcasts ===
* ''Battle Tactics for Your Sexist Workplace'' * ''How's Your Day?'' * ''KUOW Newsroom'' * ''KUOW Shorts'' * ''Primed'' * ''Radioactive'' * ''Seattle Now'' * ''Second Wave'' * ''SoundQs'' * ''Speakers Forum'' * ''The Wild With Chris Morgan''
==== How to Be a Girl ==== {{Main|How to Be a Girl (podcast)}} ''How to Be a Girl'' is a parenting podcast hosted by a mother using the pseudonym Marlo Mack to discuss her experiences raising her transgender child.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woo |first=Michelle |date=June 11, 2018 |title=I'm Marlo Mack, Creator of the 'How to Be a Girl' Podcast, And This Is How I Parent |url=https://lifehacker.com/im-marlo-mack-creator-of-the-how-to-be-a-girl-podcast-1826683062 |access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=Lifehacker |publisher=G/O Media |language=en-US}}</ref> Mack had been recording her child since she was a baby and had recently joined a local radio club when her daughter began expressing that she was not a boy, which lead to the production of the podcast.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anastas |first=Katie |date=June 14, 2017 |title=Are You Listening? Eight Seattle-Area Podcasters Share Origins, Advice |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/are-you-listening-8-seattle-area-podcasters-share-origins-advice/ |access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=The Seattle Times |publisher=The Seattle Times Company |language=en-US}}</ref> The podcast has been nominated for a Peabody award and has won both a Webby award for best writing as well as the international award from the British Podcast Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ring |first=Trudy |date=November 20, 2020 |title=Mom of Trans Daughter Tells Heartfelt Story in 'How to Be a Girl' |url=https://www.advocate.com/books/2020/11/20/mom-trans-daughter-tells-heartfelt-story-how-be-girl |access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=The Advocate |publisher=Pride Media |language=en-US}}</ref> Freddie McConnell of ''The Guardian'' praised the show calling it a "tender take on an under-represented reality" and Katy Cowan of ''Creative Boom'' praised the show saying that it was "a revealing and often emotional podcast."<ref>{{Cite news |last=McConnell |first=Freddy |date=December 21, 2016 |title=The 50 Best Podcasts of 2016 |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/21/the-50-best-podcasts-of-2016 |access-date=May 26, 2022 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowan |first=Katy |date=March 5, 2019 |title=Thirteen Insightful Podcasts on Women, Feminism and Gender Equality |url=https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/13-insightful-podcasts-on-women-feminism-and-gender-equality/|access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=Creative Boom |language=en-US}}</ref>
==== The Record ==== ''The Record'' is KUOW's flagship local news and interview podcast hosted by Bill Radke that debuted in the fall of 2013 and ended in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2021 |title=KUOW Expanding Local Content, Including New Bill Radke Project, New Podcast Pilots, and Reimagining of 'The Record' |url=https://www.kuow.org/kuow-expanding-local-content-including-new-bill-radke-project-new-podcast-pilots-and-reimagining-of-the-record|access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2022 |title=What You Can Expect From Soundside, KUOW's New Noontime Show |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/what-you-can-expect-from-soundside-kuow-s-new-noontime-show|access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref> After a neo-Nazi was punched for wearing a Nazi band in public, Radke interviewed the neo-Nazi on the show, which was received negatively from the show's audience and led to Radke apologizing for doing the interview.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sweeney |first=Brendan |date=October 24, 2018 |title=Your Feedback on the Record's Interview With a Neo-Nazi |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/your-feedback-records-interview-neo-nazi|access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rich |first=Smith |date=September 22, 2017 |title=Read Bill Radke's Heartfelt Apology For Interviewing That Nazi Who Got Punched |url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/09/22/25429445/read-bill-radkes-heartfelt-apology-for-interviewing-that-nazi-who-got-punched|access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=The Stranger |publisher=Index Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Week in Review'' is the Friday edition of ''The Record'', which won an award in 1996 for the best commentary and analysis from the Society for Professional Journalist.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keeley |first=Sean |date=August 30, 2016 |title=Five Podcasts Everyone in Seattle Needs on Their Playlist |url=https://seattle.curbed.com/2016/8/30/12716138/five-podcasts-seattle-must-listen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902011516/http://seattle.curbed.com/2016/8/30/12716138/five-podcasts-seattle-must-listen|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2016|access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=Curbed |publisher=Vox Media |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 30, 1996 |title=KUOW Wins Awards From Media Groups |language=en-US |pages=46 |work=The News Tribune |publisher=McClatchy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102592183/kuow-wins-awards-from-media-groups/ |access-date=May 26, 2022}}</ref>
==== Soundside ==== ''Soundside'' is a midday news podcast hosted by Libby Denkman that airs on KUOW on Mondays through Thursdays.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malcolm |first=Kim |date=January 7, 2022 |title=Meet Libby Denkmann, Host of KUOW's New Show Soundside |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/meet-libby-denkmann-host-of-kuow-s-new-show-soundside |access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=kuow.org |language=en-US}}</ref> The show was created after ''The Record'' ended.<ref name=":0" />
==== Terrestrial ==== {{For|Ashley Ahearn's podcast about the greater sage-grouse|Grouse (podcast)}} ''Terrestrial'' was an environmental podcast hosted by Ashley Ahearn which ran from April 2017 until December 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hester |first=Jessica |date=June 9, 2017 |title=Does It Matter What We Do? A New Podcast and Documentary Take Stock of Individual Choices Against the Backdrop of Immense, Looming Threats. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-09/-terrestrial-and-wasted-ask-how-much-individual-choices-matter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407152817/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-09/-terrestrial-and-wasted-ask-how-much-individual-choices-matter |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |website=Bloomberg News |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |language=en-US}}</ref> Ahearn started the podcast because she felt that most environmental journalism is impersonal and she wanted to explore how individuals cope with climate change rather than the discouraging state of the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sunu |first=Sarah |date=May 2, 2017 |title=Making Environmental Change Personal With Ashley Ahearn |url=https://www.compassscicomm.org/making-environmental-change-personal-with-ashley-ahearn/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614032659/https://www.compassscicomm.org/making-environmental-change-personal-with-ashley-ahearn/ |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |website=Compass Science Communication |language=en-US}}</ref> The podcast was nominated for ''Best Green Podcast'' in 2020 at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards and was featured on ''Outside Online'' as the best environmental podcast of 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marquina |first=Sierra |date=January 18, 2020 |title=2020 iHeartradio Podcast Awards: Full List of Winners |url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-01-17-2020-iheartradio-podcast-awards-full-list-of-winners/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517110947/https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-01-17-2020-iheartradio-podcast-awards-full-list-of-winners/ |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |access-date=May 24, 2022 |website=iHeartRadio |publisher=iHeartMedia |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2017 |title=The Best New Podcasts of 2017: As Chosen by Our Editors—and You |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/best-podcasts-2017/ |access-date=May 24, 2022 |website=Outside Online |language=en-US}}</ref> Jillian Capewell of ''HuffPost'' praised the show saying that the podcast is an "informative show in a sound-rich and powerful audioscape" and Rowan Slaney of ''The Guardian'' praised the show saying that "it absolutely blew me away."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Capewell |first=Jillian |date=June 23, 2017 |title=Eleven New Podcasts to Refresh Your Summer Playlist: Philosophy, Travel, Curse Words, Random Bits of Knowledge — It's All Here. |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/11-new-podcasts-to-refresh-your-summer-playlist_n_594bfd0ee4b0a3a837be4cf6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407152817/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/11-new-podcasts-to-refresh-your-summer-playlist_n_594bfd0ee4b0a3a837be4cf6 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |website=HuffPost |publisher=BuzzFeed |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Slaney |first=Rowan |date=June 9, 2017 |title=This Middle Eastern Life and Eco Anxiety – Podcasts of the Week: A Selection of Podcasts From Around the World, From the Middle East to Mallorca |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/09/podcasts-of-the-week-middle-east-eco-anxiety |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515075307/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/09/podcasts-of-the-week-middle-east-eco-anxiety |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.kuow.org/}} *{{FM station data|66571|KUOW-FM}} *{{FM station data|174445|KQOW}} *{{FCC-LMS-Facility|66609|K214EW}} *{{FXL|K214EW}}
{{Seattle Radio}} {{NPR Washington}} {{University of Washington}} {{Authority control}}
{{Coord|47.616|N|122.309|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}
UOW-FM Category:NPR member stations Category:Radio stations established in 1952 UOW-FM Category:University of Washington mass media