KUOW Launches The Wild, a New Podcast Hosted by Ecologist and Filmmaker Chris Morgan
April 2, 2019
SEATTLE, WA — KUOW’s newest podcast The Wild immerses listeners in surprising stories of wonder, adventure and resilience from our natural world. During the 12 episode season — launching April 2 — host Chris Morgan travels across the globe, from the mountains of Italy to his own backyard in the Pacific Northwest, to experience the magic of wild places and the species living within them. The podcast will explore the ways nature connects us all and how the wild has adapted with its human neighbors.
“Chris reconnects people with the wild through his passion and storytelling – you can tell he loves these places and being out there, and for him the next best thing to having you alongside, is being able to talk to your through his microphone. He lives for this stuff,” said Brendan Sweeney, KUOW Director of New Content and Innovation.
Chris Morgan has worked as a wildlife researcher, wilderness guide and environmental educator worldwide for more than 20 years. He has hosted and contributed to award-winning documentaries and television productions, including regular work with PBS Nature, National Geographic Television, BBC and Discovery Channel. He is also the co-founder of Wildlife Media, a non-profit conservation organization that produced BEARTREK, and UPROAR.
For Morgan, The Wild is about sharing his experiences and adventures in and with nature. “I’m just a guy who is obsessed with nature, I find nothing more exciting than being outdoors and I want to share my experiences with people. Through The Wild I hope to connect people with the wild the way I’m connected with it,” said Morgan. “We are at this pivotal point in our world where people need to feel linked with nature so that that they want to protect it and cherish it, and have a legacy in it. My work as a conservationist has shown me that when people love something and respect something they will protect it.”
“In making this podcast we wanted to create an audio experience where listeners can share in the raw excitement of nature. Through Chris’ storytelling, we hope to spark wonder,” said Jim Gates, the podcast’s senior editor.
The first episode, titled "Cougars Around Us", explores how as our human world spreads into the wild, moving us deeper into the wilderness and making encounters with wildlife like cougars more common. Chris journeys from the suburbs of Seattle through ranches and orchards and, eventually, into forests in Eastern Washington as he looks for one of the 2,000 cougars living in Washington state.
Listeners can subscribe to The Wild at kuow.org/thewild or in any podcasting app. New episodes will publish weekly. Listeners can also follow our Instagram at @thewildpod.
Special Event: Experience The Wild In-Person
Join KUOW and host Chris Morgan for a behind-the-scenes look at KUOW’s newest podcast. Friday, April 26, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at The Mountaineers in Seattle. Free with RSVP. Details here.
You’ll hear outtakes and stories from the creation of the podcast and from special guests who will help us explore the resilient power of nature and our relationship to it. The event is free with an RSVP and includes beverages and appetizers. Details here.
The Wild Season One
Episode 1: Cougars Around Us
Episode 2: How to Catch a Grizzly
Episode 3: The Wolf Returns to Germany
Episode 4: The Secret Lives of Beavers
Episode 5: Tigers in Siberia
Episode 6: Safe in the Wild
Episode 7: Brown Bears in Italy
Episode 8: The Healing Powers of Nature
Episode 9: Grizzlies in the Cascades
Episode 10: Sounds of the Wild
Episode 11: Waiting for Penguins Episode 12: Lions of the Sea