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.

ARCHIVE | Visit the Northwest Now Archive to explore episodes by year.

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.

Fire On The Horizon

We take it for granted that the soggy west side of Washington protects us from the worst wildfires, but climate change and the explosion of development in areas loaded with fuels means we all need to re-think things.

Audio Preview

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

Click here to listen:

5/1 J'Nai Bridges The South Sound’s own (Both Tacoma and Lakewood claim her) three-time Grammy award-winning opera superstar J’Nai Bridges joins us on this edition of Northwest Now to talk about her amazing career and her upcoming performance as Carmen at the Seattle Opera.

5/8 Chief Patti Jackson After serving for more than a year as the interim Chief of Police for the City of Tacoma, Patti Jackson finally got the job for good. Is the Tacoma Police Department a troubled organization, or are reforms in progress with a new era of trust and effectiveness within the city's grasp? That's part of the discussion with the new chief, Patti Jackson.

5/15 Dave Upthegrove (encore) Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove came into office hoping to use AI to reconfigure timber harvests and move the ball downfield when it comes to protecting our natural areas. Instead, state and federal budget cuts threaten fire prevention and fire suppression readiness. That's part of the discussion on this edition of Northwest Now.