City Cast Madison

How will the federal government shutdown be felt in Madison? Well, it’s too early to know for sure, but the City Cast Madison team discusses how local officials are bracing for the impact. Host Bianca Martin is joined this week by executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Thomas. They also break down the latest in the race for governor and its impact on local races, and how Middleton’s beloved Chinese-American restaurant might find new life.  Mentioned on the show: Who’s running for Wisconsin governor [City Cast Madison]SoulFolk Collective tells Black Madison’s stories [City Cast Madison] Test your Madison street name knowledge [City Cast Madison] 👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this October 3rd episode: District Council of Madison

JR Mocanu, co-owner and bartender of Public Parking, shares insights about his craft cocktail bar on Madison's East Johnson Street. He discusses the bar's inclusive atmosphere, its successful first year, and the accolades it's received—including being named one of the best new bars in the country. JR reveals how his experiences in Austin influenced his return to Madison, the creative cocktail menu that features playful names, and the exciting plans for their first birthday celebration with free champagne and drag performances.

The leaves are changing colors and Halloween decorations are popping up all around us. That can only mean one thing – it’s October in Madison. The City Cast Madison team is here to give you our best recs for what to do and to eat this month. Plus, on this episode, we bring you our spooky recommendations. Host Bianca Martin chats with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about a new Norwegian food truck, Stars Hollow coming to Middleton, and so much more!  For even more tips on how to make the most of October in Madison, check out Madison Minute’s take on what to do this month.  🌡️ City Cast Madison’s guide to October is made possible by our awesome sponsor, Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric.  👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this October 1st episode: District Council of Madison Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric

Next year, Wisconsin will have its first open gubernatorial election in more than a decade. Nearly a dozen candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring and we’re just getting started. To break down the stakes of this election and dig into the candidates vying for Wisconsin’s top job, host Bianca Martin chats with hosts of Milwaukee’s WTMJ’s Point Taken, Steve Scaffidi and Kristin Brey. 👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 30th episode: District Council of Madison

Madison has a new top cop in town, but he’s no stranger to our city. Newly minted Police Chief John Patterson has spent nearly three decades on the force. Today, host Bianca Martin speaks with Patterson to get his perspective on policing in Madison — from the severe racial disparities in our arrest rates to the Office of the Independent Monitor and more.    👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 29th episode: District Council of Madison

🎵I fell in the pit, you fell in the pit, we all were in the pit.  No, that’s not Mouse Rat and this isn’t Parks and Rec. This is City Cast Madison, and the pit we’re talking about is the former downtown Madison College campus. Developers are revisiting plans to build a hotel on the local eyesore. Meanwhile a UW-Madison frat has been priced out of their new home, and everyone is wondering if the Badger’s football season is already ruined? Host Bianca Martin chats with executive producer Hayley Sperling and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about all this. Plus, we want you to be our neighbor!  Mentioned on the show: Henry Vilas Zoo is getting a new polar bear [Channel 3000] 👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 26th episode: Wisco Home Goods Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

There are TONS of new restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, and bakeries flooding Madison’s food scene. So what are these new places and what’s the hot item to order there? To dish on all of the newness in town, host Bianca Martin chats with Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians, who recently published a roundup of all the new spots popping up around town. We hope you’re hungry because this show is delicious! 🥕 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers. 👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 25th episode: Wisco Home Goods Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

In July, the Wisconsin State Journal published a story on redevelopment plans for the Brayton Lot on East Washington Avenue that included AI-generated quotes and false details of the development plans. The paper later removed the piece, rereported on the issue, and fired the original author. Audrey Korte, the reporter at the heart of the mistake, recently broke her silence in an interview with Isthmus. Host Bianca Martin talks with Isthmus editor Judith Davidoff about Korte’s story and what local media can learn from it.  👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this September 24th episode: Wisco Home Goods Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Sentient tube socks are set to make another appearance in the HUMP! Film Festival fall lineup. (If you know, you know.) The 2025 Part Two is screening at the Barrymore Theatre on Saturday, September 27. Ahead of the event, we are bringing back one of our favorite shows from earlier this year. Host Bianca Martin talked with longtime sex and relationship columnist Dan Savage, who founded HUMP!, about what makes his indie porn film festival special and his history in Madison. This episode originally published on April 15th, 2025.  👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this September 23rd episode: Wisco Home Goods Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

For years, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, with the support of environmental groups, has been fighting to remove a segment of oil pipeline that runs through their northern Wisconsin reservation. Last year, the Wisconsin DNR gave Canadian energy company Enbridge the go ahead to re-route the Line 5 pipeline, but the tribe says that there is still a risk of pollution to their sovereign land and water. Executive producer Hayley Sperling talks with Erin McGroarty about her recent reporting on the continued legal battle and why the Bad River Tribe wants Line 5 shut down. 👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!  📧 You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  🏠 Get more from City Cast Madison when you become a City Cast Madison Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events, and more. Join the City Cast Madison Neighbors program! Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this September 22nd episode: Wisco Home Goods Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST