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Amazon’s HQ2 Will Be A Boon And A Burden

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published October 24, 2017 at 12:22 PM EDT

Take it from Seattle, having Amazon’s headquarters in your city can be a blessing. 

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Joshua McNichols and Carolyn Adolph, reporters from NPR member station KUOW, about their new podcast “Prime(d)”.

For every one job Amazon created in the city, it added an estimated seven external jobs as well. The 33-building tech campus drove up the average income in the area and helped foster a high-skilled economy. But alongside those changes, Seattle was also hit with traffic woes, a spike in homelessness, and the flight of African-American and low income communities to the outskirts of the city.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Joshua McNichols and Carolyn Adolph, reporters from NPR member station KUOW, about their new podcast “Prime(d)” that explores the city’s long-term relationship with Amazon. 

Joshua McNichols and Carolyn Adolph host the new podcast 'Prime(d)', a look at how Amazon's headquarters changed Seattle.
Courtesy of Joshua McNichols /
Joshua McNichols and Carolyn Adolph host the new podcast 'Prime(d)', a look at how Amazon's headquarters changed Seattle.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio