
City Cast Madison
Join us every weekday morning for can’t-miss conversations about what’s happening in Madison, with a dose of local news to keep you up to speed. Host Bianca Martin collects people wherever she goes, like an endless conga line. On City Cast Madison, she peers into our city’s soul with a journalist’s skepticism and an optimist’s heart.
Latest episodes

Aug 15, 2023 • 24min
The ‘Coolest Little Station in the Nation’ Is In Our Backyard
Local radio is alive and well in Monona. The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association named 98.7 FM WVMO — the “Voice of Monona” — the Best Radio Station in state in 2022. Not bad for a teeny 100-watt station with an antenna on the fire department’s hose-drying tower. WVMO is owned by the city of Monona, run primarily by volunteers, and airs local programs. You can hear a variety of Americana music, updates on city events, and even a quick hello from the Walsh family on Sullivan Street. We speak with founder — and Wisconsin Broadcast Hall of Famer — Lindsay Wood Davis who says, “WVMO serves the community without boring it.” And we talk to one of the station’s youngest volunteers, Beatrix Pauli, host of Bea’s Buzz. 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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 2023 • 20min
Madison Is Ditching Its Gas Guzzlers
When Mahanth Joishy became Madison’s Fleet Service Superintendent, the city had zero electric vehicles in its fleet. Now it has nearly a 100 and counting. Joishy is helping Madison reach its goal of running city operations on 100% renewable energy and with net zero carbon emissions, all by 2030. City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin finds out how. Also mentioned on the show:🐔 Madison Children’s Museum Birthday Party and Coopwarming🍻 Sips for Sustain DaneWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 11, 2023 • 21min
Madison Versus the State, UW Admissions + Food Delivery App Woes
The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Bianca Martin, Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz recap the ongoing saga of state money for our fair city, ask a UW-Madison prof how admissions might change after the U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision, and ponder why local restaurants wanna break up with food delivery apps. Mentioned on the show:💰 What will Popple River, Wisconsin's second-smallest town, do with a 5,000% increase in state funding? (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)🦩 Was Madison Singled Out for Punishment in State Budget? (City Cast Madison)🦡 The Supreme Court and Admissions (UW-Madison)🍔 Culver's wants regulations for delivery services, but is considering delivery in its future (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 10, 2023 • 25min
Madison’s Best Kept Secret for Eggrolls
A few times a year, there’s a special eggroll sale in Madison. The Hmong Institute takes orders of eggrolls by the dozen, perfect for stocking your freezer. The eggrolls are handmade by volunteers and the sales fund the non-profit’s work to preserve Hmong heritage and support Madison’s Hmong residents. And friends, eggroll time is now! Producer Molly Stentz caught up with Hmong Institute COO Mai Zong Vue to learn what goes into this labor of love. The deadline to order eggrolls is Friday, August 11th. Pickup is at the Hmong Institute on August 23rd. How to Order. 🥡 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Also on the show:🍲 Ahan is moving to Willy Street!👩🏿🍳 Madison Black Restaurant Week is August 13 - 20👩🏽💻 Sponsored interview: Scrum Day is September 14Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 9, 2023 • 22min
Madison’s Trying to Clean PFAS From Our Water. It’s Not Easy.
PFAS chemicals show up in all kinds of things: non-stick cookware, stain-resistant clothing, microwave popcorn bags, firefighting foam. They’ve been dubbed “forever” chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment, making them very hard to get rid of. And they’re showing up in our water.Scientists are still discovering the health risks of PFAS, but research suggests that PFAS exposure increases the risk of kidney and testicular cancer. The CDC says most of us have been exposed to PFAS at some point.The Madison Water Utility plans to install a PFAS-removing filter at one well that they shut down due to contamination. It’ll cost $6 million dollars. Producer Dylan Brogan caught up with Joe Grande, Water Quality Manager with the Madison Water Utility, to learn how it’ll work.Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Twitter and Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 8, 2023 • 23min
Don’t Call Him a Prepper! Local Wilderness Guide Teaches Survival Skills
John Yost has taught survival skills to people of all ages for more than 30 years. He can build impromptu shelters in all weather, start a fire without matches, and generally hunt, fish, trap or forage his next meal.And yes, he’s auditioned for Survivor and Alone. And no, he’s not preparing for the zombie apocalypse. He’s a Wisconsin farm kid who grew up outdoors with a love of nature. Mentioned on the show:🔥 Yost Survival Skills🐾 Dane County Humane Society🐈 Acro-cats💊 Addiction-treating drug still seldom prescribed in ERs, study finds (Cap Times)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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 7, 2023 • 20min
What to Expect from Judge Janet’s Court
It wasn’t long ago that Wisconsin Supreme Court elections were snoozers with low voter turnout. After a raucous decade in Wisconsin politics, that era is over.Judge Janet Protasiewicz won the statewide office this spring in the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.With lawsuits about ballot drop boxes, the state’s political maps and abortion already winding through the courts, big questions over political power, voting rights and liberty are at stake. Now that Judge Janet is on the bench, what can we expect from the new court?Dylan Brogan caught up with UW-Madison Political Science Professor Howard Schweber, who says that recent moves by the U.S. Supreme Court have made our state court even more important. 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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 4, 2023 • 21min
Our Fake Electors, Watertown’s Nazis and Madison Apartment Names
The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan and Molly Stentz recap Wisconsin’s role in the latest Trump indictment and ask why Madison apartment building names are just so… interesting. Plus, there were Nazis in Watertown last weekend. What is happening?Mentioned on the show:🏳️🌈 Unity Project of WatertownWanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 3, 2023 • 19min
Soup for You! Local Soup Delivery Business Expands
D.B. Pedersen has been a chef in the Madison area for years. He’s worked at L’Etoile, Weary Traveler, the former Taqueria Gila Monster, and the Taliesin School of Architecture, to name a few. His latest venture? A soup delivery business called Soups! I Did It Again. Along with Bazile Booth, they cook up high-quality soups from scratch, using fresh local ingredients, from a kitchen in Spring Green. They deliver to Madison on Mondays. You can also find their soups at the Festival Foods on the isthmus and at Woodman’s West. Their plan is to supply local restaurants with fresh soup in a kaleidoscope of flavors.Dylan Brogan caught up with D.B. to learn what’s cooking. 🥣 Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers to the chefs and cheesemakers.Also on the show: 🚓 Madison approves body cams for police officers on the northside. Listen to our interview with Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 2, 2023 • 23min
Madison’s Free Rooftop Dance Parties Start Friday
Every Friday night in August, it feels like Madison throws a party for itself. The rooftop of the Monona Terrace becomes a dance floor, with live bands ranging from funk and soul to mambo and disco. There are also DJs and dance lessons… and you’ll find babies boogieing next to your neighbors. And it’s all free. You don’t need a ticket. Just show up. We speak with Al Cooper, president of Dane Dances, about this year’s lineup. 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! Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices