WGN - The Dave Plier Podcast

WGN Radio's Dave Plier welcomes WTTW's Geoffrey Baer in studio to talk about his new TV special, “Chicago Works.” In this new 60-minute program, Baer meets (and helps) the industrious workers across the city and suburbs who operate Chicago's moveable bridges, deliver millions of packages, care for the city's animals, process recycling, operate the Wrigley […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier welcomes WGN-TV's Larry Potash to talk about his hosting duties at the Museum of Broadcast Communications (440 W. Randolph St., Chicago) on Saturday, Dec. 6, at noon, and the upcoming WGN-TV Toy Drive on Friday, Dec. 12. Plus, a bonus encore interview with legendary anchorman Bill Kurtis. For tickets, visit museum.tv.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to author and host of The Carson Podcast Mark Malkoff about his new book ‘Love Johnny Carson', a wildly entertaining read by one of the world's most obsessed and informed fans of TV icon Johnny Carson, setting the record straight on Carson’s legacy and shining light on the personality behind […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to legendary anchorman Bill Kurtis about his book ‘Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News', plus his upcoming appearance on Saturday December 6th, 2025 at 12pm featuring a Q&A, book signing and meet and greet. For tickets, visit MUSEUM.TV.

Weber Grill Ambassador Kevin Kolman talks turkey on your grill, sides and more this Thanksgiving morning with WGN Radio’s Dave Plier in for Bob Sirott.

Dean Richards, entertainment reporter for WGN, joins Dave Plier in for Bob Sirott to provide the latest news in entertainment. Dave and Dean talks about the 20th anniversary of “Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics,” as well as what movies are must-see in the theater this Thanksgiving weekend.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier and Dave Schwan share the history of the very first Thanksgiving and the traditions that have developed over the years.

WGN Radio's Lou Manfredini, John Williams, Lisa Dent, Bob Sirott, John Landecker, Jon Hansen, Rollye James, Joe Romano, Hayley Boyd, Karen Conti, Steve Dale, David Hochberg and Dave Plier share what they are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. What are YOU thankful for?

Goose Island's annual Bourbon County Stout lineup will be released on Black Friday!  WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Todd Ahsmann, President of Goose Island, Mike Siegel, Goose Island Senior Innovation Manager, and Brian Noonan & Cody Gough from the Crafty Brewers podcast about this time-honored tradition, the history, the process, and why Bourbon County […]

Brian Noonan, Wally Podrazik, Justin Kulovsek and Chris Pokorny (the museum exhibit team) join WGN Radio's (and MBC chair, president and CEO) Dave Plier to talk about the new exhibits at the Museum of Broadcast Communications: “Johnny Carson: The Centennial,” “The Evolution of Late Night,” Antenna TV's “I Dream of Jeannie” 65th anniversary, “Bozo's Circus” […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Tom Skilling about his special reports about the Byron Nuclear Plant and the rise of electrical demand to power our cities. Later, they talk about Chicago's Doppler radar.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier salutes our veterans with the help of Chicago's own Gary Sinise and his foundation; Mike Rowe on his partnership between veteran-run wireless service provider PureTalk and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to promote skilled trades among U.S. military veterans; a Chicago radio tradition with Garry Meier and his father's tape, recounting his time in […]

Chicago radio legend Kevin Matthews joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about his documentary, “Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story,” premiering in theatres nationwide at 7 p.m. this Tuesday, October 7th, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit fathomentertainment.com.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to legendary anchorman Bill Kurtis about his new book ‘Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News', highlighting his extraordinary career as a legendary correspondent, anchorman, and producer. Bill Kurtis details his whirlwind career reporting American history as it unfolded.

Executive Producer Anna Gardner of WTTW's Chicago Stories joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about the brand new season with stories including Inside the Tylenol Murders, Legendary Blizzards, Rod Bagojevich, Iconic Foods and Marshall Field’s.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Harrison of iconic band Talking Heads joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about the group's 50 year journey and the 40th anniversary and 4K showing of ‘Stop Making Sense’ at The Genesse Theatre on Thursday October 30, 2025. For tickets: geneseetheatre.com

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Dr. Ian Smith about the latest novel in his Ashe Cayne series, ‘Beyond Midnight', and how to stay healthy as we head into the colder months.

Lisa Ann Walter, one of the stars of the award-winning ABC comedy ‘Abbott Elementary', shares behind the scenes stories on set and previews her comedy show at Batavia's Comedy Vault on October 3 and 4th, 2025. For tickets, visit comedyvaultbatavia.com.

From May 24, 2015: Songwriter Bobby Hart joins Dave Plier to talk about being half of one of the most powerful musical duos, ‘Boyce & Hart’, working with music icons Don Kirshner and Dick Clark, and how they wrote and performed the songs that launched musical group ‘The Monkees' to stardom. Hart has died at age 86.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Bill O'Reilly about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, the need for the nation to confront and end political violence, and Bill's new book ‘Confronting Evil'.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to TV Insider and TV Guide's Matt Roush about the ever-evolving way we watch our favorite shows, plus a preview of Sunday's Emmy Awards.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier sits down with Mike Rowe, host of the Emmy-Award winning show ‘Dirty Jobs' and host of YouTube's ‘People You Should Know', to talk about the American workforce, concerns of the nearly 7 million able-bodied, working age Americans who are not looking for work, the skilled trades gap issue, and how the […]

The leather jacket is back! WGN-TV's Larry Potash talks to WGN Radio's Dave Plier about his upcoming triple season premiere of ‘Backstory' on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 11pm with stories including:

Chicago radio great Kevin Matthews joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about his radio days and his upcoming documentary, ‘Broken Mary,' premiering October 7th, 2025. Jim Shorts also joins in to talk about the new Bears coach and his ‘Pig Skin Picks’ for the first Bears game of the season.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier and Dave Schwan talk about the history of the American labor movement as well as the legacy of comedian Jerry Lewis and what was an annual tradition on Labor Day weekend, the MDA telethon.

Don Barnes from 38 Special celebrates five decades of music with WGN Radio's Dave Plier and talks about how the band was formed, how they came up with the name, and the stories behind their biggest hits.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks backyard autumn grilling, tailgating tips, and more with Weber Ambassador Kevin Kolman.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Grammy Award winning artist Herb Alpert about his music, the Tijuana Brass, one of the most iconic album covers of all time ‘Whipped Cream & Other Delights', the history behind A&M Records and the artists that graced his label including The Carpenters, Styx, The Go Go's and Janet Jackson. Herb […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to WGN-TV's Mike Lowe who will be honored for his courage and determination at the H Foundation’s 23rd Annual Goombay Bash, a fundraising event for basic science cancer research on July 26, 2025 at Navy Pier. Mike will be the recipient of the “Eye of the Tiger” Award.

Editor and Chief of Nostalgia Digest Magazine Steve Darnall talks to WGN Radio's Dave Plier about their summer edition including Burma Shave, Harpo Marx, Don Ameche, and more! 

Harry Teinowitz, one of Chicago’s most popular sports radio hosts, has died at age 64. In addition to a number of appearances on WGN Radio through the years, in 2014 Harry was part of our sister station, 87.7 FM The Game. In 2021, Harry along with frequent on-air partner Spike Manton visited with Dave Plier […]

Chicago radio legend Garry Meier joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier in studio along with Tom Skilling from Hawaii to talk about Garry's adventures in the suburbs. Tom jumped in with Garry and Dave to reminisce about his time on air with Garry, volcanoes erupting in Hawaii, weather and too many laughs to count. 

WGN Radio's Dave Plier celebrates Wally Phillips on the 100th anniversary of his birth, sharing a little bit of Wally on the WGN Radio airwaves, including a portion of Bob Sirott's 2004 interview with Wally and Wally's acceptance speech in 1993 for the Radio Hall of Fame.

Class of 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chubby Checker joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about his 60 years in music, the origins of his name, ‘The Twist,' and his upcoming appearance at Ron Onesti's Des Plaines Theatre on Sunday, 7/27/25. For tickets, visit arcadalive.com.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier celebrates the ‘Fabulous Fifties' with 91 year old music legend Pat Boone; author Todd Purdum on his book ‘Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'; 50's teen idol Frankie Avalon; the definitive story of the drive-in theater; Keith Thibodeaux ‘Little Ricky', the last living cast member from ‘I Love Lucy'. Plus, […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to Country Music Icon Wynonna Judd about her summer tour, her level of gratitude right now in her life, missing her mom Naomi Judd, and her peaceful life on the farm. Wynonna will be playing at The Hard Rock Casino on Thursday, July 26th. For more, visit wynonna.com.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier shares his conversation with author John Malahy about the movies that reflect the full range of how summer has been depicted on screen, including Jaws, National Lampoon's Vacation, The Endless Summer, Caddyshack, and more.

WGN's Dave Plier and Wally Podrazik, television historian and author of ‘Watching TV', break down top TV dads by decade including Howard Cunningham (‘Happy Days'), Andy Taylor (‘The Andy Griffith Show'), Jim Anderson (‘Father Knows Best'), Mike Brady (‘The Brady Bunch'), Archie Bunker (‘Archie Bunker's Place'), Cliff Huxtable (‘The Cosby Show'), Phil Dunphy (‘Modern Family') and […]

WGN-TV's Pat Tomasulo joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to talk about his brand of comedy, what his father taught him, what he loves and doesn't like about summer traditions, and his upcoming shows at Zanies in Rosemont from Thursday, June 19th – Saturday, June 21st. For tickets go to zanies.com.

Dag Juhlin and Jason Narducy join WGN Radio's Dave Plier LIVE in studio to talk about their upcoming ‘Celebration of Pete Townshend' event at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights. The date of the show is Saturday, June 21st. The 7pm show has sold out, but tickets, including great table seats in this intimate viewing/listening room, […]

WGN Radio's Dave Plier and retired WGN Radio newsman Roger Badesch talk about the history behind radio and television call letters including WGN ‘World's Greatest Newspaper', which made its first appearance in the Chicago Tribune nameplate on August 29, 1911, and dozens of other Chicago call signs that graced the airwaves over the past 100 years on both radio and television.

WGN Radio's Dave Plier talks to actor, comedian and entertainer Frank Ferrante on the 40th anniversary playing Groucho Marx (1890-1977) on stage, whose irreverent legendary humor continues to influences audiences today. For tickets to see Frank as Groucho on Wednesday June 11, 2025 at 7pm, visit https://zinzanni.com/chicago/clubzinzanni-groucho/.