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
Apr 4, 2023 • 29min
What D.C. Learned From the 1968 Uprisings
More than 900 D.C. businesses were damaged, and nearly 700 homes destroyed during the unrest in April 1968 after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. But what’s even more striking is to hear about that part of D.C.’s history through the words of its residents: how they processed the grief and anger for a fallen icon. Vann Newkirk, the host of the Atlantic’s podcast Holy Week, spoke to several Washingtonians who were there, and he relays those stories to us today, in part one of our 1968 series.Be sure to tune in tomorrow, for our conversation with Virginia Ali, the founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl.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. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc (TRY TO CHANGE IT UP EVERY TIME)And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 3, 2023 • 16min
D.C.'s Youngest Politician Wants to Revitalize Local Schools
We’ve all heard the misconception about young people being apathetic when it comes to government and politics. But here in D.C., at just 18 years old, Quentin Colon Roosevelt is the youngest ANC rep in city history, a position he holds while also attending high school. Quentin tells us how he juggles being a full-time student and an elected official.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. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 31, 2023 • 23min
Congress's 'Oversight' Hearing, Awful Traffic, and Bizarre Smoke
The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to block D.C.'s police discipline and accountability bill. It was part of a larger hearing they SAY was all about stopping crime in D.C. But… it didn’t quite feel that way. Audio Producer Julia Karron and City Cast DC Contributor Dan Reed join Bridget Todd to chat about that, plus the recent boom in traffic congestion and why D.C. smelled like smoke earlier this week.Our roundups wouldn’t be possible without all the local reporting going on:
Cuneyt Dil from Axios gives us the skinny on the hearing.
Justin George of the Washington Post explains why traffic was heinous this weekend.
The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang breaks down the science behind the smoke and smells.
We also covered the House hearing on Thursday morning in our morning newsletter Hey DC. Sign up now.Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 30, 2023 • 18min
How Walmart Abandoned H Street
The Walmart on H Street Corridor closes for good tomorrow, and it’s pissed off city officials more than you’d expect. Many felt like D.C. made a deal with the devil by allowing Walmart into the city in the first place ten years ago, and now the retail giant is leaving H Street NE in a lurch. Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak is here to explain the whole sordid story. Check out Petula’s spicy column on this. Plus, here’s Clockout DC’s list of public restrooms in D.C. And sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC to get more content like this first. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 29, 2023 • 22min
What Makes D.C.'s Gay Clubs Special
LGBTQ spaces are under attack nationally, and that means D.C.’s queer bars and clubs have even more importance. D.C. actually has a rich history of gay bars but not necessarily when it comes to clubs. Ed Bailey, the founder of D.C.’s iconic gay nightclub Town, explains why and what clubs mean for D.C.’s LGBTQ culture 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. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc (TRY TO CHANGE IT UP EVERY TIME)And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 28, 2023 • 26min
What 'D.C. Cab' Gets Right (and Wrong) About Our City
There are so many pieces of media that take place in D.C. - some good, some bad, and some totally cringey. So in this new series, City Cast D.C. cohosts Mike Schaffer and Bridget Todd are looking back at some famous portrayals of D.C. in media to break down how they depict our city. Starting with the iconic ‘80s Mr. T classic D.C. Cab, where a group of rag tag DC cab drivers try to keep their struggling cab company afloat while solving a kidnapping on the side. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 27, 2023 • 19min
Union Station’s Upgrade Will Transform The Entire Neighborhood
Union Station is about to undergo a massive renovation. In this interview originally aired last summer, WAMU’s Jordan Pascale walks us through what the transit hub will look like inside and out, and how it's going to impact the neighborhood around it.Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 24, 2023 • 27min
Mayor's Top Advisor Abruptly Resigns, Plus a New Budget, and E-Bikes
There’s never been a D.C. mayoral aide quite so powerful as John Falcicchio. And all of a sudden, he’s gone — departed amid scandal. Alex Koma, Loose Lips columnist from Washington City Paper, is here to walk us through what it means. Also, we’ll be talking about the wonky nature of the new city budget, and Lead Producer Priyanka Tilve explains the future of ebikes in the District.We couldn’t do our news roundups without the great local reporting in the area:
Alex Koma’s Loose Lips column about John Falcicchio’s departure.
Check out the Mayor’s budget for FY 2024 here.
ABC7 explains gives you everything you need to know about the new e-bikes.
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. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc (TRY TO CHANGE IT UP EVERY TIME)And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 23, 2023 • 19min
Why Uyghur Restaurants Are Booming in the DMV
For decades, geopolitics has shaped Washington’s restaurant scene. And one of the latest trends is the boom in Uyghur restaurants, often run by folks fleeing oppression back home. Today, we’re talking with a Uyghur advocate based in the DMV about the food and the new Washingtonians who are cooking it. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 22, 2023 • 23min
Why D.C.'s Flag Is the Best in the U.S
It’s official: DC’s flag is awesome. And Maryland’s isn’t too shabby, either. Virginia’s? Well… Today we’re talking with two leading vexillologists — that’s flag experts — who will walk us through how the DC flag became so ubiquitous, and why it works.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. We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc (TRY TO CHANGE IT UP EVERY TIME)And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 202-642-2654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
