

City Cast DC
City Cast
City Cast DC is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed.. 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. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at dc.citycast.fm.
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. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at dc.citycast.fm.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 4, 2023 • 22min
Suspicious Festival Cancellation, Preventing Power Outages, and a New Penn Ave
While America is talking about what’s happening in a certain local courtroom, our team is talking about the mystery of a canceled Asian American book festival, the non-mystery of why DC loses power in thunderstorms, and another plan to fix Pennsylvania Avenue. Here’s some more info on today’s stories:
Our newsletter Hey DC covered the Asian American Lit Festival cancellation
Read more about DC Plug to see how it might affect your home.
Hey DC also had a piece about the plans to reimagine Pennsylvania Avenue
Subscribe to our newsletter to get these stories first thing in your inbox every weekday morning. Just text “DC” to 66866.Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HEREWe’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.

Aug 3, 2023 • 24min
Brutally Honest D.C. Restaurant Opinions
What are D.C.'s most overrated restaurants? Is $20 for a sandwich actually a reasonable price? Washingtonian’s food editor Jessica Sidman joins the City Cast crew to hash out restaurant hot takes that might make your blood boil.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 HEREWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd 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.

Aug 2, 2023 • 20min
The Dark and Twisted Pasts of D.C's Famous Sites
D.C.’s streets are full of hidden histories. JoAnn Hill wrote the literal book on them, and she’s here to share some of the weirdest — and darkest — stories behind famous D.C. sites, like Dupont Underground, the Supreme Court, and Soldier’s Home Cemetery.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 HEREWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd 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.

Aug 1, 2023 • 13min
Hot Tips for Staying Cool in D.C.
We’ve had excessive heat warnings the last few days in D.C. and with the start of August, things probably aren’t cooling off any time soon. City Cast contributor Austin Graff has some tips on how we can stay cool in the city.Want some more D.C. news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC.Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HEREWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd 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.

Jul 31, 2023 • 15min
Which New Route Should Metro Build?
Metro is considering its largest expansion since the announcement of the Silver Line. Jordan Pascale, WAMU’s Transportation Reporter, shares details of the potential new routes and an overall vision for D.C.’s transportation future.Here’s that survey if you wanna participate!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 HEREWe’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.

Jul 28, 2023 • 23min
Avoiding the Heat, Invasive Worms, and Ugliest Buildings
It’s hot, even for us sweat acclimated Washingtonians. Our team is covering how to stay cool, plus an invasion of poisonous worms in the District. Also, we pitch in on the interesting debate afoot about D.C.’s ugliest buildings.Per usual, our roundups are powered by local reporting:
Check out D.C.’s cooling stations using this map.
Kevin Ambrose and Kasha Patel from The Washington Post have you covered on the worm situation.
Got feelings on the ugliest building in D.C.? Tell Reddit about it!
And big news, we're having an anniversary party and live taping on August 28 at 6:30 pm. Come join us!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 HEREWe’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.

Jul 27, 2023 • 22min
D.C. Food Critic Spills Industry Secrets
Tom Sietsema has spent a career eating his way through town as the Washington Post’s restaurant critic. He won’t tell us his secret aliases for reservations, but he is here to spill some other secrets, like why it’s important to check out a restaurant bathroom, his worst D.C. dining experience, and why brunch is for suckers.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 HEREWe’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.

Jul 26, 2023 • 19min
Living on the Streets in the D.C. Heat
No matter where you live, summers in D.C. are brutal. But do you know what it feels like to wake up in a nylon tent when it's like this? Street Sense vendor Chris Cole does, and she says it’s the summers, not the winters, that are the hardest to handle. In this episode that originally aired last August, she shares her story.Call 311 if you need help or information on heat exposure and resources to deal with it. Here are some ways you can help D.C.’s unhoused communities. And be sure to check out Street Sense’s comprehensive reporting on this issue. We’re also on Instagram at @citycast_dc, and you can leave us a voicemail by calling 2026422654. Call us!!

Jul 25, 2023 • 19min
Kids Are Dying From Gun Violence in Record Numbers This Year
It’s been a deadly summer in DC so far. 12 kids have already died from gunfire this year. Emily Davies, reporter at the Washington Post, has been covering this troubling and complicated story.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 HEREWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd 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.

Jul 24, 2023 • 15min
We’re Finally Free of Dan Snyder. Now What?
On Friday, the Washington Commanders gained a new owner — and the city lost a collective enemy. Defector Media's Dave McKenna, a man who spent years chronicling the lows of the Dan Snyder era, is here to talk about what it was like to watch Snyder’s reign end — and what we should expect from Josh Harris, the new owner who fans have been greeting like a hero. 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 HEREWe’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.


