Booming
Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 21 minutes
- Episodes
- 50
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
The solution to our struggling power grid could be hiding in your closet
Cities around the country are facing down a catch-22. In just a few short years, they need to somehow get off of fossil fuels while meeting surging electricity demand. The crisis is especially acute …
What's sending first gen electric cars to an early grave
This week on Booming, can electric vehicles really save us from our fossil fuel addiction? Economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg went searching for a "Tesla Graveyard." What she found reveals how compl…
The campground crunch
We know Washington's cities are booming, attracting thousands of newcomers each year. But did you know demand for Pacific Northwest campgrounds and trails is growing even faster?
This week on Booming:…
Boeing at the glass cliff
Boeing's hiring of its new CEO of Commercial Airplanes is the latest in a series of women who finally break through the glass ceiling at male-dominated companies, but only when there's a crisis to so…
Seattle's 15-minute makeover
Who killed the 15-minute city? And what will it take to get it back?
Seattle leaders have a plan to turn NIMBYs into YIMBYs. They're betting they can get residents to say "yes in my back yard" to gro…
The new mommy track
More American women with young children are working than ever before, thanks in part to the rise of remote work. That has clear benefits for the economy and individuals. But hybrid work may not be a …
Could a broken ferry system help fix our cities?
The Washington State ferry system is down by a third of its fleet. That’s leaving people up and down Puget Sound stranded, intermittently severing them from their jobs, schools and doctors. But out o…
Whatever happened to hustle?
Gen Z and millennial workers have become a punchline for media pundits and TikTok comedians. Young people get a bad rap for refusing to go above and beyond at work. Is this just the latest battle in …
Dorms for adults
Seattle is running out of room. Could tiny, Tokyo-style apartments be part of the solution?
How much space do we really need? Residents of a new Seattle-area micro-apartment building say not much. Un…
KUOW's Booming: Coming January 24 (TRAILER)
The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy re…