

City Cast Austin
City Cast
Join Nikki DaVaughn and the award-winning City Cast Austin team every weekday morning to catch up on what’s on Austinites’ minds, from the latest out of City Hall and the Texas Capitol to the buzz about the newest bar on East Sixth. With a companion daily newsletter we’ll keep you up to speed on everything you need to know. It’s as essential in town as the MoPac express lane at 5 p.m. on a Friday. Learn more and subscribe to our newsletter at austin.citycast.fm.
"Friendliest Local News Dispatches" - The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2025
"Friendliest Local News Dispatches" - The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2025
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 5, 2024 • 49min
Here's What the Entire Country Is Talking About
City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with hosts from all 13 City Cast daily local podcast hubs to talk about what stories they’re watching in their hometowns that are likely to impact yours too. Listen in for how Nikki DaVaughn’s story stacks up against the rest.We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want even more Austin news? Make sure you sign up for our daily Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jul 3, 2024 • 25min
Who Should Be on Austin’s Mount Rushmore?
Follow us down a little hypothetical rabbit hole. Let’s say that an Austin sculptor is tasked with carving a local version of Mount Rushmore — we’ll call this Mount Waterloo, after the original name of our fair town. Who should be on it? Host Nikki DaVaughn, along with City Cast Austin producer Elissa Rozentuller and Hey Austin editor Kelsey Bradshaw, share which Austin icons they’d like to see permanently memorialized and then duke it out to decide on a final four. Or six. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jul 2, 2024 • 24min
The Fallout from UT’s April Protests, Faculty Layoffs, and Windowless Bedrooms
What is going on at the University of Texas at Austin? Host Nikki DaVaughn talks to KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy to find out. It’s been a tumultuous year on the 40 Acres, with the campus dealing with DEI layoffs, pro-Palestinian protests, and disciplinary actions that followed. Plus, why are students living in windowless bedrooms? We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jul 1, 2024 • 25min
Your Guide to July in Austin
We’re officially in summer — and if this is your first one here, you’ve probably already realized just how powerful that hot Texas sun can be. The days are long and that evening cool-down that might happen in other places just does not happen here. Have no fear, host Nikki DaVaughn and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec are here with Austin Monthly Editor Madeline Hollern to give you some insider tips on how to keep your cool, including all the things that you must tote around to make your days and nights a breeze. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 28, 2024 • 25min
Goodbye Kinky Friedman, Burnt Orange Baseball Drama, and Austin Airport’s Growing Pains
It’s the Friday News Roundup! Host Nikki DaVaughn is joined this week by Hey Austin newsletter editor Kelsey Bradshaw and executive producer Eva Ruth Moravec to round up the news. We’ll bring you the latest on Austin Bergstrom International Airport’s record-breaking passenger count and some drama on the baseball diamond at the University of Texas. We also bid farewell (for now) to Pride Month, as well as an LGBTQ+ icon, Richard “Kinky” Friedman. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then, make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 27, 2024 • 22min
Attention Austin Shoppers: Summer Flavors Ahead
Host Nikki DaVaughn chats with Emily Hill, who posts about all the best Austin-area grocery goodies and shopping tips. She’s got the latest on all the hybrid summer fruits, specialty sodas, and knows which experimental chip flavor is worthy of a smash — or a pass. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 26, 2024 • 27min
Should We Worry About the Texas Grid This Summer?
As the temperatures warm up and the AC thermostat is nudged down, host Nikki DaVaughn is joined by Mose Buchele, KUT’s energy reporter, to talk about the vulnerability of the Texas power grid. We’ve all still got post-Winter Storm Uri grid anxiety, but how much should we actually be concerned about the power going out this summer? We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 25, 2024 • 21min
Swimming Holes, Hotel Lidos, and Other People’s Pools
It’s hot out, and the construction at Austin's infamous spring-fed swimming hole, Barton Springs Pool, makes getting there a bit of a hassle. Leave Barton to the tourists and join host Nikki DaVaughn, City Cast Austin producer Elissa Rozentuller, and Hey Austin editor Kelsey Bradshaw as they break down Austin's other swimming options. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor.Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 24, 2024 • 26min
Why Does Austin Celebrate Pride Month Twice?
Brigitte Bandit, an Austinite and drag performer, joins host Nikki DaVaughn to talk about celebrating Pride in Austin. Aside from doing drag full-time and hosting a monthly open mic drag show, Bandit has become known for her LGBTQ-plus advocacy work, and has addressed lawmakers at the Texas Capitol and policymakers at Austin City Hall. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinYou can also text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Jun 21, 2024 • 23min
A New Era for the Alamo Drafthouse, the Latest on the Juneteenth Shooting, and Longhorns Head to the Olympics
In today’s Friday News Roundup, we sum up what we know about a shooting at Round Rock’s Juneteenth celebration, and talk about the University of Texas athletes who are heading to this year’s Summer Olympics. Plus, we talk about the Alamo Drafthouse, an Austin institution that’s now under new ownership. To support relatives of the Juneteenth shooting victims, donate via GoFundMe, or make donations to the Boys and Girls Club or NPH USA. We’d like to thank Tecovas, who makes our favorite Western wear in town, for being our exclusive launch sponsor. Want some more Austin news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Austin newsletter. Follow us @citycastaustinHave thoughts on the Austin Police Department chief candidates? Text us or leave a voicemail. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE


