City Cast DC
City Cast
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 16, 2024 • 27min
Ride-Share Lawsuit, Councilmember Recall Fails, and What's New At Eden Center
Katie Wells, author of Disrupting D.C., joins the team to talk about litigation against a local ride-share company, the end of the Charles Allen recall, and some news out of the Eden Center.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 August 16th episode:Paulson & NaceMetropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
Aug 15, 2024 • 19min
How Racism Persists on the Hill
The United States Congress might be the highest-profile employer in D.C. According to Rutgers Professor James Jones, who spent years working on the Hill, racism still persists in its halls. He’s here to talk about his book, The Last Plantation, and why, no matter who gets elected, diversity on the Hill really matters. 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 August 15th episode:Paulson & NaceInterested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 14, 2024 • 21min
A Plan to Make Streateries Permanent
Streateries were a feature of the pandemic. Four years on, they’re still with us — and not everyone is happy. There’s an ongoing quarrel over the outdoor dining installations in Georgetown, where a lot of locals would prefer to get some scarce parking back. Last year, we talked to Joe Sternlieb and Faith Broderick from Georgetown’s Business Improvement District about their thinking on making streateries permanent. Take a listen.Sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC for more local news. We also send out an exclusive, members-only curated events email every Monday, so members can plan out their weeks. To get that perk, become a member today.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 14th episode:Paulson & NaceInterested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 13, 2024 • 25min
Essential Rules for Living in DC
D.C. has a whole host of rules that are the kind of thing where if you know, you know. So ClockoutDC’s Jade Womack and Greater Greater Washington’s Dan Reed joined to take us to school on the essential rules to life in the District. If you like culture hot takes like this, sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for just $8 a month.Learn more about the sponsors of this August 13th episode:Paulson & NaceMetropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 12, 2024 • 18min
How DC Became a Showcase of Brutalism
Most people are not fans of brutalism, the 20th century architectural style known for strewing blocky concrete buildings around D.C. So we talked with the curators of Capital Brutalism, a new exhibit at the Building Museum, about how D.C. became a showcase of brutalism — and why the buildings have a future here. 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 August 12th episode:Paulson & NaceInterested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 9, 2024 • 24min
911 Outage, Mural Dispute, and DMV’s Olympic Winners
The Washington Post’s Jenny Gathright joins the team to break down another D.C. 911 problem, a wild lawsuit over a mural, and the DMV’s Olympic romp.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 August 9th episode:Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE
Aug 8, 2024 • 20min
DC Has a Growing Water Safety Problem
Remember that District-wide boil water advisory on July 3? Turns out it was caused by a massive algae bloom in our local waters, and because of climate change, issues like this could become more common. Last week, Inside Climate News reporter Aman Azhar broke the story on what caused the problem, and he tells us what it means for water safety in D.C. going forward.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 August 8th episode:Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 7, 2024 • 20min
Listen to This Before You Adopt a Pet in DC
D.C., with its notoriously small apartments, isn’t always the easiest place to be a pet parent. City Cast senior producer Julia Karron, who just adopted a dog, shares everything you need to know before bringing home a furry friend of your own in the District.Check out Paws in the DMV's dog-friendly map here.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 August 7th episode:Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 6, 2024 • 18min
DC Voting Might Change Drastically
The DC Board of Elections announced Friday that Initiative 83 has enough signatures to be on the ballot this November. That means ranked choice voting and open primaries could be on the horizon for D.C., and they’d seriously shake up D..C politics. City Paper’s Alex Koma is here to explain what the future of our elections could look like.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 August 6th episode: Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.
Aug 5, 2024 • 29min
Why Crime is Down in DC
After a couple of years of alarm, crime in D.C. is down. But we don’t really know why! We’re talking to Lindsey Appiah, D.C.’s deputy mayor for public safety, about her theory of the case — and what she thinks we need to do now.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 August 5th episode:Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18)
