
City Cast DC
City Cast is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed. Washingtonians are gritty, proud, and resilient — necessary qualities for a community facing issues that range from an affordability crisis to the fight for statehood to the movement for racial justice… and useful qualities for a region full of whip-smart people, dynamic culture, and constant change. Washingtonians are deeply passionate about our city, whose story is still being written, and City Cast DC is here to tell it.Every weekday morning, our hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd will engage people from all over the eight wards in conversation about DC’s crises and its beauty, both literal and figurative. It’ll have the feel of eavesdropping on an energetic and informative coffee shop chat, except that with City Cast DC, consider this your official invitation to listen in.
Latest episodes

Jun 24, 2025 • 28min
How To Bargain Hunt at DC’s Estate Sales
Looking for vintage, eclectic, and well-made clothes or furniture without breaking the bank? Estate sales might be your new favorite thing. Vic Yepez is a vintage collector and reseller who’s gone viral for her estate sale shoutouts around the DMV. She’s here to share everything you need to know to get in on the estate sale scene.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 24th episode:
PaintCare
Backroom
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 23, 2025 • 24min
What Metro's Automation Means for You
In the past few weeks, Metro has quietly switched to automatic driving. In other subway systems, this has happened without much drama. But in Metro, automatic driving has a fraught history. NBC4’s Adam Tuss has been covering the change and is here to explain what it means for passenger safety, transportation budgets — and the drivers themselves.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 23rd episode:
PaintCare
Backroom
Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 2025 • 1h 2min
Here's What 13 US Cities Are Talking About This Summer | A City Cast DC Special
City Cast hosts are on the pulse of what’s happening in our communities. So Michael Schaffer and all 12 other hosts sat down with City Cast CEO David Plotz to talk about creative local problem solving that might work in your hometown too and to commiserate about stressors affecting most of our cities, from unaffordable housing to bike lanes.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 20th episode:
Gala Theatre
Nace Law Group
Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 18, 2025 • 21min
Vinyl Bars Are DC’s Next Big Thing
Vinyl Bars are popping off in DC. Like, bars where you go, have some cocktails, and the music you’re hearing isn’t from spotify algorithms — it’s from actual records. Journalist Claudia Rosenbaum has been visiting a ton of them, and she’s here to give us some recs.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 18th episode:
Gala Theatre
Nace Law Group
Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 2025 • 28min
What Trump's Failed Parade Means for Local DC
Despite the administration’s hype, Trump’s military parade fell short of expectations. WAMU reporter Alex Koma was on the ground covering both the parade and the protests and he’s here to break down what actually went down in the streets and how it impacts the city.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 17th episode:
Alliance Francaise
Gala Theatre
Nace Law Group
Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 2025 • 28min
How DC Wants to Spend Your Money
DC’s city government needs to find a way to balance the budget — and plan for a future where tens of thousands of federal jobs might never come back. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposal is to make a bunch of big cuts — but also spend more on things like stadium projects that she thinks will boost the economy. As you can imagine, not everyone agrees with this. Her budget director, Jenny Reed, sat down with us to walk us through their thinking.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 16th episode:
Gala Theatre
Nace Law Group
Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 2025 • 33min
Trump’s Military Parade, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and a Mystery Casket
It’s our Friday News Roundup! We’re talking about the logistics and symbolism of this weekend’s military parade, the latest twist in the Eleanor Holmes Norton story, and the mystery of the abandoned casket. Plus, in our member’s-only fourth topic, the scene at The Kennedy Center this week when Donald Trump went to see Les Mis.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 13th episode:
PaintCare
Alliance Francaise
InKind - Get $25 off your next order of $50 or more!
Gala Theatre
Nace Law Group
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 12, 2025 • 22min
Is DCPS’ Phone Ban Good for Students?
D.C. Public Schools announced last week that they’re instituting a cell phone ban in schools — part of a trend around the country and around the city. One early adapter was Georgetown Day School in Tenleytown. That head of school, Russell Shaw, wrote an essay in The Atlantic about why they chose to nix phones. He’s here to explain.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 12th episode:
PaintCare
Alliance Francaise
InKind - Get $25 off your next order of $50 or more!
Gala Theatre
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 11, 2025 • 27min
Your Summer Guide to Cheap Flights From DC
It’s officially summer travel season — but DC’s airports have had a rocky few months. Some senators called this week for independent investigations into safety failures that may have contributed to the midair collision that took place outside DCA in January.To break down everything you need to know about traveling out of DCA, Dulles and BWI this summer, we're talking with certified airport expert Scott Keyes from Going, formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 11th episode:
PaintCare
Alliance Francaise
InKind - Get $25 off your next order of $50 or more!
Gala Theatre
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 10, 2025 • 25min
DC Jazz Is Having a Moment. Here's Where to Hear It.
Today our hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd sit down to talk jazz in DC. Bridget grew up being taken to jazz shows around DC by her dad, which made her the city’s littlest jazz enthusiast. She’s been thinking a lot about the subject since her dad passed away, and today we’re going to talk through the past and the present of jazz in the District — and how you can experience it like Bridget.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 10th episode:
PaintCare
Alliance Francaise
InKind - Get $25 off your next order of $50 or more!
Gala Theatre
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC.
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices