WGN - The John Williams Uncut Podcast

Former WGN Radio news anchor Steve Bertrand was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the RTDNA Foundation at their 2026 First Amendment Awards. The foundation's awards celebrate the efforts to promote responsible journalism and preserve the constitutionally guaranteed rights to do so. Past honorees include local reporters, network anchors, members of the U.S. House of […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature for 2026! Are you trying to come up with some quick getaway ideas that are only a short trip from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for you! Today, we head to Wisconsin and visit with Kathleen Papcke, Chair, Women's […]

Professor Samir Khuller, Chair, Northwestern's Computer Science Department, joins John Williams to talk about the university offering a major in AI next year.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope's Screening Room, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the war in Iran. How and when does this war end? Last week, HHS […]

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says it’s a little too early to start seeding, but definitely get debris cleaned up and make sure to get leftover fall leaves […]

Local farmer John Andermann, President of the Will County Farm Bureau, joins John Williams to talk about his farm and his yield last year, what he’s doing with his field right now, how very few farmers turned a profit last year, the cost of fertilizer going up, and how the war in Iran is impacting […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about being on the back-end of flu season, how most of the respiratory illness they saw in the hospital was influenza, how far we have come with COVID since 2020, if popular weight loss drugs could become a […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about his thoughts on the current landscape of NCAA sports in the transfer portal era, Uber rolling out their women-only option, and his general observations about the war in Iran.

DeWayne Peevy, Vice President & Director of Athletics, DePaul University, joins John Williams to talk about the DePaul basketball team ahead of the Big East tournament. DeWayne talks about how the team has performed this year, the big step the team made in the second year of the Chris Holtmann era, what the future of […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Judd Sirott, the television play-by-play announcer for the Boston Bruins on NESN and former pre-game, intermission and post-game host for Chicago Blackhawks broadcasts on WGN Radio, joins John Williams to share his thoughts on the life and legacy of the great Troy Murray, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 63.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says that it’s time to get outside and do some early spring clean up. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Christopher Parente, Partner, Cheronis & Parente, joins John Williams to talk about how former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s testimony earlier in the week about his client, Marimar Martinez, who was shot by Federal agents last October, possibly contributed to Noem being removed from her position leading DHS.

Jared Gans, staff writer, The Hill, joins John Williams to talk about the latest news coming out of Iran.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the disappointing and surprising job report data, how the attack on Iran is impacting the economy, why we need to pay attention to the price of oil, why he’s still expecting economic growth this year, how the markets are reacting to […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Dave Masa, Owner, Radon Reduction Systems, joins John Williams to talk about the Illinois Radon Protection Act and the importance of ensuring consistent radon testing standards in Illinois schools.

John Bryan joins John Williams to talk about why he’s suing the city of Yorkville over a proposed data center in the area, saying the project will destroy his quality of life.

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. Harvey discusses skinny bundles, and what to know about Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and what it might mean for your streaming costs.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972, political pundit Marj Halperin, and Steve Bertrand, host of the ‘Steve Bertrand on Books‘ podcast. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing the U.S. attack on Iran. Do the Rascals think the attack was warranted? Next, […]

Xavier Walton, National Correspondent, NewsNation, joins John to break down the results of the U.S. Senate primary in Texas. What were the big takeaways?

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about how the war in Iran has impacted interest rates, the housing market stabilizing in the Chicago area, and how young people are typically buying property. David also answers all of your questions. David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about the possibility of seeing a single nasal spray vaccine that could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, a new study showing some of the health risks of GLP-1’s, and how AI will impact healthcare.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about how he keeps a record of his old columns, if we should honor Jesse Jackson by renaming a park or airport for him, his thoughts on Iran, and the likelihood that Chicago lands the DNC in 2028.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Author, terrorism analyst, and DePaul University history professor Dr. Thomas Mockaitis joins John Williams to discuss the latest news about the U.S. attack on Iran. Dr. Mockaitis tells John everything we need to know. Will this attack make it unsafe for Americans across the globe?

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Since the calendar has switched to March, it’s time to take care of some of that early spring pruning! And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions. Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday […]

Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger, and member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of February 2026! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com

Author and journalist Sophie Elmhirst joins John Williams to discuss her book, ‘A Marriage at SeaA True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck.’

Connell McShane, anchor of ‘NewsNation Live with Connell McShane,’ joins John Williams to talk about today’s inflation report and how the market is reacting to the news, why inflation remains a bit sticky, what will likely happen with tariffs, and Bill and Hillary Clinton’s testimony before House Oversight Committee this week regarding their ties to Jeffrey […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Kemi-Bo Jacobs, starring as Agnes in ‘Hamnet' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, joins John Williams to talk about the production, how the Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a magical place to perform, what you can expect when you see this production, what is so wonderful about this play, the influence of the source material […]

Kirstin Dahm, Director of Parks and Recreation, Oak Forest Park District, joins John Williams to talk about the vibrant park program in Oak Forest, the types of events and activities they program, their mission to serve the community, some of the most popular programs that are available for their residents, how they are able to […]

After the last meeting when the WGN Radio Book Club discussed their favorite books of 2025, our book lovers – John Williams, Steve Alexander, Bob Kessler, Steve Bertrand and Sara Tieman – have returned to discuss the books they’ve been reading during the first couple of months of 2026. John Williams (weekdays 10am-2pm, including The Noon […]

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, multi-media journalist Brandon Pope, author of Brandon Pope's Screening Room, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week, the Rascals start things off by breaking down President Trump’s State of the Union. What were the big takeaways from the speech? Next, the Rascals discuss […]