KBTC's Weekly Public Affairs Show - Friday at 7:30pm

Northwest Now is KBTC's weekly public affairs television show hosted by veteran journalist Tom Layson. Now in its 17th season, Northwest Now takes a closer look at the issues and people who are part of Western Washington. 

WATCH LIVE| Friday nights at 7:30pm on KBTC and the KBTC Livestream.  

STREAM | Available here and on-demand on the free PBS App.  

LISTEN | Listen here, download, or find episodes at Apple Podcasts.

Explore the Northwest Now Collection  

Northwest Now Digital Extra | Northwest Now Digital First | Open Government | Saving the Salmon |Specials

Northwest Now Host - Tom Layson 

Tom Layson is KBTC's Managing Editor and worked in Yakima, Terre Haute, Louisville, Sacramento, Columbus, and New York-New Jersey. Tom anchored 13 hours of live coverage in the NY/NJ market during 9-11 - just one example of the many thousands of hours he’s been on set or in the field covering politics, natural disasters, courts and crime, economic development, personal finance and the environment the past 40 years. Tom grew up in the Maple Valley area and is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University.

Arthur West

Arthur West is a bit of a Rorschach test. Some say he’s a gadfly and a troublemaker, bombarding government and public agencies with records requests to profit from the settlements and fines they have to pay when they inevitably break the law. Others say he’s a hero in the fight for open public records in the state of Washington. No matter his motives, his results have been significant, placing him as possibly the most central figure in the discussion around open government in this state.

Audio Preview

Listen to an audio preview of this week's show by Northwest Now's Associate Producer, Chris Anderson. 

Click here to listen:

3/20 Arthur West Arthur West is a bit of a Rorschach test. Some say he’s a gadfly and a troublemaker bombarding government and public agencies with records requests to profit from the sePlements and fines they have to pay when they inevitably break the law. Others say he’s a hero in the fight for open public records in the state of Washington. No maPer his moSves, his results have been significant placing him as possibly the most central figure in the discussion around open government in this state.

3/27 Miranda Spivack Author Miranda Spivack works at the intersection of open government, journalism and citizenship - and her debut book, Backroom Deals in Our Backyards - How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back won the Studs and Ida Terkel award, which is given annually to new, nonfiction authors who explore social justice and the lives of ordinary people.

4/3 Anders Ibsen Newly elected as Tacoma’s 40th mayor, Anders Ibsen says his top priorities are improving public safety, addressing homelessness, and boosting economic opportunities in the City of Destiny. As the old saying goes, however, the devil is in the details, and achieving those objectives for improvement is part of our discussion with the new mayor.

4/10 Jerry Wennstrom Viewers of Jerry Wennstrom’s art might walk away inspired or disturbed – or both. Wennstrom started as a painter in New York City but destroyed his entire body of work and gave away all his possessions. For fifteen years he lived a nomadic existence, fasting and eventually finding his way to Whidbey Island where the next 25 years were spent creating a collection of highly crafted mechanical sculptures displayed in his home studio - where none of his work is for sale.