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Booming: Daily Summaries Delivered
by KUOW News and Information
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.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday19 min
Matchmaking is booming. Could it solve the relationship recession?
App fatigue is causing more and more singles to break up with online dating. Instead of swiping, people are turning to matchmakers and other ways to find love I-R-L... often spending thousands of dollars in the process. Seattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s oldest businesses into one of the hottest new ones. On today's episode, matchmaking is having a moment. Could it solve what some are calling the 'relationship recession' and help the economy as well? Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 1 weeks ago25 min
Is Xbox's big reboot a new dawn, or its last life?
When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset. The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.” Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here—Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it’s often called the "Hollywood of video games." For the workers who live and breathe gaming, their ability to keep or find a good job feels like an impossible gauntlet. On today's episode, what's really going on with Xbox? And what do these mass layoffs say about the state of the gaming industry? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 2 weeks ago20 min
Did the US Congress just save affordable housing?
Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that. That makes housing expensive... and it’s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage. For years, Americans have been begging politicians to do something about the high cost of housing buying an adequate place to live. In late June, something happened that almost never happens in Washington, D.C.—Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a major bill aimed at unlocking the housing supply. The bill is called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, and it just became law over the weekend. Some lawmakers are calling this bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. On today's episode, we look at what it can really deliver. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 3 weeks ago31 min
From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?
Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dogs. But can shopping there really save you money? On this special episode of Booming brought to us by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale can—and can’t—save you money. Sources in this episode: Consumer Price Index data, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets, Consumer Reports Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco Interview with Jordan Page Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon Control F wants to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 4 weeks ago17 min
The $6,000 shortcut to driving electric
Washington is one of 17 states trying to break up with gasoline. It wants every new car sold here to be electric by 2035. But so far, drivers have been slow to adopt electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That’s because EVs are expensive, and finding a place to charge them can be inconvenient. So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He’s developing a simple way to convert gas cars to plug-in hybrids. On today's episode, could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling? GUESTS:Tom Gurksi, founder and CEO of Blue Dot MotorworksDon Mackenzie, leader of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the University of Washington Coming up: Are you a (non-software) small business owner or entrepreneur who is using AI agents to help with your work? What are the creative ways you're using them? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Jun 24, 202626 min
Big Tech is bankrolling the clean energy transition... while emitting more than ever
Big Tech is bankrolling massive clean energy projects in the Pacific Northwest to power the data centers of the future. These carbon-free energy gambles are being built here for a reason: Washington and Oregon have some of the most aggressive mandates to ditch fossil fuels on the books. But before those laws take effect, Big Tech is driving demand for fossil fuels in the region—and elsewhere in the country, the industry is causing a gas boom. On today's episode, is the tech industry pushing us toward a clean energy revolution, or reversing progress on global warming? Coming up: Sometimes it can feel like taking care of the planet will break the bank. What are your budget friendly hacks for being a good environmental steward? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Jun 17, 202617 min
Seattle banned data centers. Now what?
Seattle’s city council just approved a one-year moratorium on data centers within city limits – making the city the biggest in the country to ban them. The move comes after several big developers proposed data center projects that could use up to a third of the power that Seattle uses on an average day. On today's episode, what do data center companies want to be in Seattle for, anyway? And are we better off without them? Coming up: Sometimes it can feel like taking care of the planet will break the bank. What are your budget friendly hacks for being a good environmental steward? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Jun 10, 202628 min
4-day work week or brain fry? How AI will change work
CEOs have been making some bold claims about how artificial intelligence will change work—that in the future, the work week will shrink to four days or fewer, or that a job will be as optional as growing vegetables at home instead of buying them from the grocery store. Whether AI makes us work more or less, there’s no question it’s already changing the way millions of people do their jobs. On today's episode, how is AI transforming the workplace now? And how can everyday workers prepare for the future? Coming up: We're looking into the "IRL Economy." Are there any real world experiences you've turned to because you're tired of using an app, or being online? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.Support the show: https://kuow.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
About 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.
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