To quote a Bruce Springsteen song from last year: "This is Radio Nowhere - Is there anybody alive out there?" Fortunately, Seattle radio is not Radio Nowhere when it comes to the environment. You can find green info and coverage on several Seattle radio stations. Here's what I've heard, or heard about, or been a part of myself. It's certainly a selective list, and I won't mention every station in town. If I've missed anything, or you have anything to add, please send a comment.
KUOW - FM 94.9
One of two local National Public Radio (NPR) affiliates, KUOW has provided solid coverage of environmental issues. One recent example is their "Cracking the Climate Code" series in early February. On their daily interview/call-in shows, "Weekday" and "The Conversation," they also regularly cover topics such as green building and natural gardening.
KPLU - FM 88.5
KPLU. the other local NPR affiliate, is also a jazz station, so it does not have as much news and public affairs programming overall as KUOW. However, KPLU boasts extensive local news coverage, and I believe KPLU is the only local radio station that has a designated environmental reporter, Liam Moriarty. His stories encompass a broad range - from orca whales to public transit - although he also covers topics that are not exactly environmental, like marijuana reform.
KBCS - FM 91.3
Based at Bellevue Community College, KBCS is a small public station with a variety of eclectic musical programming and several locally-produced news and public affairs shows. "One World Report," Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m., often has green content, and local eco-journalist Francesca Lyman is a frequent contributor to that program.
KEXP - FM 90.3
Though mostly emphasizing alternative music, KEXP has two weekly environment-related shows that are part of its "Mind Over Matters" public affairs blocks on Saturday and Sunday morning. These two shows are "Sustainability Segment" with Diane Horn from 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. Saturdays and "The Bioneers" from 6:00 to 6:30 a.m. Sundays.
KOMO - AM 1000
This news station covers environmental stories regularly. And, as he does on his KOMO4 TV segments, consumer reporter Herb Weisbaum often includes environment-related info in his consumer reports. His recent green topics have included energy-efficient light bulbs, toilets and air purifiers. Herb's Consumer Tip of the Day runs daily at 6:55, 8:55 and 11:55 a.m. and 3:55, 6:55 and 8:55 p.m.
KIRO - AM 710
A news and talk station, KIRO also covers environmental news on a regular basis. However, one of its call-in shows, the "Ron & Don Show" weekdays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., sometimes has a politically conservative, adversarial approach to environmental programs, especially those funded by the government.
KPTK - AM 1090
As the local "Air America" affiliate, this liberal talk station would be expected to be sympathetic to environmental issues, and it is. Lee Callahan, who formerly was with KMTT "The Mountain" and did the now-defunct Green Report there, joined KPTK a few months ago and started the Eco-Minute with green tips, which I believe runs several times a day. KPTK's only full-length locally-produced program, "Gardening in the Northwest," runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and emphasizes natural gardening techniques. The host of this call-in show, Scott Conner, has had gardening shows on Seattle radio stations for more than 20 years. I also have a gardening background and used to work at a Seattle nursery with Scott in the 1980s, and so I make guest appearances as the "EcoConsumer" every month or two.
KMPS - FM 94.1
The number one country music station in the market, KMPS doesn't seem like a natural fit for green programming. But their morning newsman, Don Riggs, a fixture in Seattle radio for decades, has done a number of interviews with me and others about environmental issues on his weekly public affairs show, Introspect Northwest. And the popular KMPS morning show "Ichabod Caine and the Waking Crew" also touches on green concerns from time to time.
Entercom stations (KISW - FM 99.9; KKWF - FM 100.7; KMTT - FM 103.7; KNDD - FM 107.7)
I am lumping in these stations all together because they have done that themselves as far as green programming. They all promote an Entercom environmental program called "1Thing," which was apparently started at the Entercom stations in Portland. So far, the Seattle version seems very generic. Local on-air personalities for each station will do "1 Thing" blurbs and send people to the website, but the website just includes standard green tips and almost no local content. I think it's meant to be an advertising tool, but it doesn't even have much of that so far. I heard from someone at Entercom that they are going to improve "1 Thing" this spring, and I hope so. KMTT ("the Mountain"), one of the Entercom stations, used to run the daily Green Report and have a fairly strong environmental bent. But now the Green Report is gone, "1 Thing" is (so far) a weak replacement, and KMTT even has their top personality, Marty Riemer, doing an intrusive commercial on their website for a local Subaru dealer, talking about how green Subarus are. I know it's tempting (and maybe even necessary for survival) for radio and TV stations to try to tie environmental programming to advertising content. But they've got to be careful - Listeners who think they're being manipulated will hit the button for a new station in a heartbeat.
That about covers what I know. Apologies to whatever I've missed. Once again, if you know about some other great green programming on local radio, please comment and tell us about it! Thanks!