Radio for a more informed, more engaged, more curious, more creative, more empathetic public
KUOW’s 2022 Impact Report
A message from Caryn G. Mathes,
KUOW President and General Manager
More local stories
KUOW seeks to inform, engage and inspire our community with trusted reporting that focuses on the Puget Sound region. Here is a selection of local, impactful stories from the past year.
Traveling “for good” in Washington state
What are some local travel destinations that have a positive impact on our region? KUOW reporters visited eight unique destinations recommended by our listeners.
KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo Chiquiza
Broken promises at charter school chain
Impact Public Schools, the largest charter school chain in Washington state, promised its students a world-class education. In a six-month KUOW investigation, dozens of parents and staff said the reality fell far short.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
SPD’s backlog of sexual assault cases
In a collaborative reporting project, KUOW and the Seattle Times revealed that the Seattle Police Department isn’t investigating most new adult sexual assault cases.
Photo: Kevin Lambert/The Seattle Times
Ripple effects of regional growth
The Seattle area is growing. Because we're not building enough homes, people are getting pushed farther and farther out. In a four-part series, reporter Joshua McNichols covers the issue and explores some potential solutions.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
Swinomish tribe revives ancient practice
Since time immemorial, people in what is now Washington and British Columbia farmed the sea with a type of environmental engineering called clam gardening. Reporter John Ryan joined Swinomish Tribal leaders as they built the first U.S. clam garden in centuries.
KUOW Photo/John Ryan
Seattle and the overdose crisis
Former KUOW reporter Anna Boiko-Weyrauch spent over a year interviewing people experiencing addiction and the on-the-ground advocates working to address this public health crisis.
KUOW Illustration/Isolde Raftery
Cargo spill sends goods to Alaskan beaches
Consumer goods from coolers to bike helmets began washing up on beaches on the Gulf of Alaska, at least a 1,200-mile journey from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where a cargo ship spilled 109 shipping containers in October. John Ryan spoke to beachcombers making the most of it.
Photo: Courtesy of Duke Marolf
Solutions for children’s mental health
In this three-part series, KUOW’s Liz Jones details the journey of one Seattle-area family to break the cycle of generational trauma.
KUOW Photo/Megan FarmerMore curiosity
KUOW listeners are curious life-long learners. Read through this selection of stories that take you one level deeper to cultivate a more nuanced understanding of our local communities and our world.
Local Latino history in photos
On Soundside, KUOW’s Alec Cowan spotlighted a rare collection of images documenting a chapter of Washington state history that rarely gets publicity.
Photo: Irwin Nash/WA State University 
A record player is a time machine
On The Blue Suit, a collection of records left behind by Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II holds great meaning for this local sound artist.
Photo: Shin Yu Pai
High school hustle: the video game
In this sound-rich, fictional audio story, RadioActive youth journalist Alayna Ly explores the choices involved in the transition out of high school.
Photo illustration by Lucas Galarneau 
First principal Black dancer
Jonathan Batista made history as the first Black principal dancer in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 50-years. KUOW’s Diana Opong joined him in rehearsal.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
The Splendid Table in Seattle
KUOW partnered with The Splendid Table for a live-taped discussion about our region’s vibrant food scene and the people working for food sustainability.
KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo Chiquiza
Our neighbors Sound-under
The Soundside team covered stories from across the region, including this deep dive on the secrets of sea slugs living in the depths of Puget Sound.
Photo: Luan Roberts/Instagram
Tools for tough conversations
In the series Subtext, KUOW’s Bill Radke spoke to local author Mónica Guzmán about how to better understand and converse with people we disagree with.
KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo Chiquiza
A league of murder creatures
Move over, "murder hornets." KUOW’s John Ryan explores invasive species that go on biological killing sprees, turning ecosystems upside down.
Design by KUOW/Amelia PeacockMore voices
From youth journalists in KUOW’s RadioActive program, to stories from neighborhoods across the Puget Sound region, KUOW works to reflect our whole community. We believe it is imperative to include diverse voices in our storytelling. Since 2015, KUOW has tracked the diversity of sources in our local broadcast features — defined as planned stories, investigations, or profiles — and on our midday local show to better understand how we’re representing our community and to push for improvement.
Source diversity
39% of sources for local news features in 2022 identified as people of color
54% of sources for local news features in 2022 identified as women or nonbinary
25% of sources for local news features in 2022 were under 35 years old
KUOW Photo/Juan Pablo ChiquizaRadioActive Youth Media
200+ youth participants in radio journalism and audio storytelling workshops
38 audio stories and podcasts published
5 national journalism awards won*
4 RA grads working as full-time staff members at KUOW
*See awards section for details.
KUOW Photo/Kelsey KupfererGeographic diversity
In its first year, Soundside covered stories and perspectives from across the Puget Sound region from as far north as Alaska to as far south as Clark County:
419 stories told.
30+ topics explored, including arts and life, the environment, public health and more.
60+ neighborhoods covered.
Source: KUOW Records
KUOW Design/Amelia Peacock via DatawrapperMore ears
KUOW brings trusted, local, award-winning coverage to the Puget Sound region, free of paywalls. Whether you listen in your car during a commute, on your smart speaker while making dinner or catch up on your favorite KUOW podcast on a walk around the neighborhood, we work to meet you wherever you are.
2022 in numbers
338,558
Avg. Weekly Broadcast Listeners
Source: Nielsen
237,545
Avg. Monthly Streaming Listeners
Source: Triton
51,548
Active Contributing Members
Source: KUOW Records
22,285
Sustaining Evergreen Members
Source: KUOW Records
486,628
Avg. Monthly Podcast Downloads
Source: Triton/Podtrac
10,480,552
Page views on KUOW.org
Source: Google Analytics
80,942
Newsletter Subscribers
Source: Salesforce
113,450
Social Media Followers
Source: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok
809
Community Feedback Club
Members
Source: Groundsource
4,080
Pieces of Feedback from Listeners
Source: KUOW Records
4,715
Event Attendees
Source: KUOW Records
29 awards for excellent, local journalism
2022 Edward R. Murrow Awards
For Bill Radke’s conversation with a Kraken fan calling for more queer representation in hockey;
one family’s journey in birthing and parenting in the pandemic from Kate Walters and Megan Farmer; Anna Boiko-Weyrauch’s coverage of the overdose crisis in King County; the grip of right-wing conspiracy theory on Sequim politics reported by David Hyde; and KUOW’s ongoing coverage of the Covid pandemic including local outbreaks and vaccine hesitancy, and stories of resilience and hope from a dangerous year.
2022 Youth Journalism Awards
KUOW’s RadioActive Youth Media program received an award from NLGJA (The Association of LGBTQ Journalists) for Antonio Nevarez’s story about exploring identity expression during the pandemic; an Asian American Journalists Association Award for Jennifer Nguyen’s conversation across generations about what it means to work hard; and two awards for a series of stories from a RadioActive workshop with teens who are incarcerated at Clark Children and Family Justice Center in Seattle.