City Cast Madison
Join us every weekday morning for can’t-miss conversations about what’s happening in Madison, with a dose of local news to keep you up to speed. Host Bianca Martin collects people wherever she goes, like an endless conga line. On City Cast Madison, she peers into our city’s soul with a journalist’s skepticism and an optimist’s heart.
Episodes
June 27, 2025 • 44 mins
It’s that time of the week again — time for the Friday news roundup! This week the City Cast Madison crew is here to give you the (soggy) details on this week’s flooding, explain some highs and lows happening around education funding, and give you the scoop on the latest decisions from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Plus, don’t get stuck in Morgan Wallen traffic this weekend.
Mentioned on the show:
Get Your Home in Tip Top Shape T...
Mark as Played
June 26, 2025 • 23 mins
Now that it's food truck season in Madison, keep an eye out for that big, purple truck that took the city by storm last year! This purveyor of smash burgers and churros, Cinn City Smash, is just starting its third year making the rounds at local bars and festivals. So, we're bringing back a conversation host Bianca Martin had with the truck's owners — and long-time friends — Rutger Schiesser and Maximus “Noodle” Perdomo, about how ...
Mark as Played
June 25, 2025 • 29 mins
Water bottle? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Hiking shoes and thick socks?? Check and check. Summer is the best time to get outside and explore Madison’s hiking trails. From the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to the UW-Madison Arboretum, there’s no shortage of places to explore around the isthmus. To get the scoop on the best trails for every ability and occasion, we turned to local author and the new Madison Public Library naturalist-in-resi...
Mark as Played
June 24, 2025 • 32 mins
What do Motown, Mozart, and “Dark Side of the Moon” all have in common? The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will be paying tribute to all of them in their annual six-week free outdoor concert series. Concerts on the Square is a Madison summer favorite that will attract thousands to the capitol each Wednesday through the end of July. Will you be one of them?
To learn more, executive producer Hayley Sperling chats with WCO Music Directo...
Mark as Played
June 23, 2025 • 27 mins
As it stands, abortion access in Wisconsin is extremely limited. Of the 72 counties in the state, only three have abortion providers. That limited access hinges on the next few weeks. Any day now, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to rule on the validity of an 1849 law which some interpret as an abortion ban. Meanwhile, national lawmakers are working on a budget reconciliation bill – One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which in part...
Mark as Played
June 20, 2025 • 62 mins
City Cast hosts are on the pulse of what's happening in our communities. So Bianca Martin 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:
Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C.
Wisc...
Mark as Played
June 18, 2025 • 29 mins
An estimated 15,000 people flooded the streets of Madison in the “No Kings” protest last weekend, pushing back against the Trump administration. But as tensions between law enforcement and demonstrators continue to escalate across the country, it’s more important than ever to know your rights — and how to stay safe while making your voice heard. City Cast Madison executive producer Hayley Sperling talked with Ryan Cox, Legal Direc...
Mark as Played
June 17, 2025 • 30 mins
Have you ever looked at the tag on your shirt and stopped to wonder who grew your clothes? In a world where roughly 30% of the microplastics in our oceans come from synthetic clothing material, it’s more critical than ever to build a connection to the fibers we wear every day. As the founder of the Midwest Linen Revival, Leslie Schroeder is leading a movement in Madison to make the fashion industry more sustainable.
The Midwest Li...
Mark as Played
June 16, 2025 • 36 mins
Wisconsin is failing to protect Black women and girls from violence and murder, according to state Rep. Shelia Stubbs. And she has the numbers to back that claim up. In 2020, Black women in Wisconsin were 20 times more likely to be murdered than white women, according to a study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. So what’s going wrong and how do we fix it? We spoke with Stub...
Mark as Played
June 13, 2025 • 31 mins
It’s Friday the 13th and you’re in luck! The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. Did you know there’s a special election on Tuesday? Host Bianca Martin has the details for Dane County Supervisor District 1 residents. Speaking of politics, expect floods of people to hit the streets this Saturday as part of the worldwide “No Kings” protest. But wait, there’s more! This weekend is bringing a host of festiv...
Mark as Played
June 12, 2025 • 31 mins
It’s patio season y’all! Are you ready for rooftops, lake fronts, and hidden gems? Cap Times food and culture editor Lindsay Christians joins the show to dish on what’s new around town and give her recommendations for every patio occasion. Plus, she’s got the latest on what new cocktails and spirits you can expect to see at bars around town.
Join us every Thursday as we explore Madison's food culture, from the brewers and bakers t...
Mark as Played
June 11, 2025 • 17 mins
Warm weather is here and thankfully, the Madison area is full of beaches and pools that are perfect for cooling off on those hot summer days. To round up the best spots around town, we caught up with Alisa Sleep, co-founder of the Madison Family parenting site, formerly known as Madison Mom. Alisa shared her favorite spots and what she keeps in mind before getting in the water. Ready to dive in?
🐟 Are the lakes safe for swimming?...
Mark as Played
June 10, 2025 • 39 mins
The Madison Jazz Festival is live! The decades-long running fest brings music from one end of town to the other all this week– most of it free. Host Bianca Martin talked to the two organizers of the event, Wisconsin Union Theater artist services manager Kate Schwartz and Arts + Literature Laboratory co-director Jolynne Roorda, about their vision for the festival. Then, as a special treat, Bianca talks to multi-Grammy winning pianis...
Mark as Played
June 9, 2025 • 30 mins
It’s been just over a week since UnityPoint Health-Meriter nurses ended their strike and got back to work with a new contract in hand. Roughly 1,000 unionized nurses walked off the job May 27 to demand better safety measures, pay increases, and adequate staffing levels. To get a better picture of what conditions are like inside the hospitals and what the nurses were fighting for, executive producer Hayley Sperling spoke with Pat Ra...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 • 24 mins
Happy Friday! The end of the work week means it’s time for the Friday news roundup.
Striking Meriter nurses return to work after ratifying a new two-year contract. And controversy grows over the Wisconsin Historical Society’s decision to break tradition and not fly the pride flag. Host Bianca Martin is joined by Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas to discuss it all. Plus, if you’ve ever waited for a table at Ahan, you’ll...
Mark as Played
June 5, 2025 • 37 mins
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, so you can bet Madison knows a thing or two about ice cream. But with such an abundance of flavors to choose from, whose cream reigns supreme? The whole City Cast Madison crew is on a mission to find out. Listen in as we eat our way through Madison’s best ice cream. You’ll never guess who our favorite is.
🍦 You know what else is sweet? Victory. W...
Mark as Played
June 4, 2025 • 26 mins
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to issue a host of decisions on some major legal cases this month. What’s the rush? Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring and the justices must issue decisions on all of the cases they’ve heard arguments for before the term ends on June 30. The clock is ticking. To get the details on the court’s inner workings and the cases before it, we spoke with Erin McGroarty, the state government and di...
Mark as Played
June 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Been to any good shows lately? Madison is getting a brand new music venue in a historic east side building later this month. Atwood Music Hall opens June 13 with a star-studded show and continues the month with a nod to all the talent Madison has to offer. Ahead of the opening, host Bianca Martin sat down with venue owner Toffer Christensen to learn about the new space and get his takes on where Madison’s music scene is thriving an...
Mark as Played
June 2, 2025 • 33 mins
It’s officially June, which means it’s Pride Month, y’all! On paper, Madison is a pretty queer-friendly city. Many of our government officials, from City Council to the U.S. Senate, identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The city and county are both self-proclaimed trangender sanctuaries. We also have tons of queer-owned businesses, several LGBTQ+ non-profits, and drag shows galore. But even with all of that, there’s still room ...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 • 33 mins
It may have been a shortened week but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a newsy one! The City Cast Madison team is here for the Friday news roundup to fill you in on the stories you need to know. Host Bianca Martin has the latest on the historic UnityPoint Health - Meriter nurses strike. Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos gives a sobering update on the search for a missing boater on Lake Monona. And executive producer Hayley Sperling gives the sc...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.