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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

  • crop crops farm farming produce

    The added challenges of getting mental health care as a farmworker

    Getting care can already be difficult when you live in a rural area — but there’s also a stigma surrounding discussions of mental health and self care in the agricultural industry. And getting proper care for your mental needs depends on what work you do, and who you are.

  • caption: Photographs of Breonna Taylor, Charleena Lyles, George Floyd, Daunte Wright and Manuel Ellis are shown included in a vigil that remains near the intersection of 11th Avenue and East Pine Street on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Seattle.

    Onboarding progresses slowly for new Office of Independent Investigations

    In Washington state's legislature, the killing of Manuel Ellis in March 2020 by Tacoma Police helped propel a police reform package of more than a dozen bills. One of those bills created The Office of Independent Investigations, or OII, which was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in 2021. This is the first office of its kind in the nation, with plans to train civilian investigators to watchdog the use of deadly force by police throughout the state.
  • caption: The Activision Blizzard Booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, June 13, 2013. The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, that it is suing to block Microsoft’s planned $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying it could suppress competitors to its Xbox game consoles and its growing games subscription business.

    Microsoft's $69 billion deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard faces FTC suit

    In a deal that may go down as the largest video-game merger of all time, Microsoft, the maker of the Xbox, is attempting to buy Activision Blizzard, which is responsible for the games, "World of Warcraft," "Diablo," and "Call of Duty," as well as the company that makes "Candy Crush."
  • social media facebook instagram twitter phone

    Could now be the time to consider a post-social media future?

    Lots of people are working at this very moment to create the next social media platform to consume our time and attention, but there’s at least one person who believes that the age of social media as we know it is over. And he’s OK with that.
  • seattle apartment building generic

    Are Seattle rents being artificially inflated via algorithm?

    If you live in an apartment, there's a good chance and algorithm is setting your rent. Many of the largest property managers in the United States use the same service where data for 13 million rental units is collected and used to recommend prices. Some tenants say that amounts to illegal collusion, and in a few places they're suing. That includes Seattle, where three lawsuits were filed in federal court last month.

  • caption: Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, speaks during a press conference May 5, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

    'We've got some breathing room': Sen. Patty Murray on the Georgia runoff election

    One more Democrat in the Senate might not sound like a big deal. But the result in Tuesday’s Georgia runoff election does a bit more than give the party an extra buffer vote. The 51-49 split empowers Democratic committee chairs. Like the soon-to-be head of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee: Washington Sen. Patty Murray.

  • caption: Tom Dyer (far right) with his band The True Olympians

    A musician's love for Olympia inspires a 40-song album

    There are many things that inspire people to write songs, and for local musician Tom Dyer it was his hometown of Olympia. He was so inspired that he wrote not just one song about the state capitol, but 40. They make up his latest album, Olympia - A True Story. He shared an account of the album’s genesis and creation with KUOW’s “Soundside.”

  • caption: A curb cut, one piece of accessible infrastructure

    Hear it again: Most sidewalks in WA are not accessible

    A report by the Seattle Times looked at the infrastructure of 30 Washington state jurisdictions. In all of those cities and counties, less than half of the roads and sidewalks complied with ADA standards.