Podcasts about wgn

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, […]

Mike Stephen learns about Teflon Softball's search for a practice facility from coach and founder India Steward, re-explores a local tour that highlights LGBTQ history, and discovers the Secret History of the late 90s/early 2000s rockers The Puta-Pons.

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!

David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Hamline University, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship and limiting the power of federal judges to rebuke President Trump's executive orders.

Josh Sach, founder of Meela, joins John Williams once again to talk about his subscription service that provides personalized AI companionship to older adults. Josh also answers all of your questions about the service.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two rate cuts […]

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling related to birthright citizenship, and what we know about the effectiveness of the airstrikes in Iran.

Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell joins Lisa Dent to discuss Mayor Johnson vetoing the ‘Snap Curfew’ policy. Mitchell shares the issues that he has with the policy, why the Mayor vetoed it, and the constitutional issues the policy has.

Lou Manfredini joins Lisa Dent in his weekly segment, Ask Lou, where he answers your questions about home repair.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Dr. Dana Varble, Chief Veterinary Officer for the North American Veterinary Community, joins Lisa Dent to discuss whether dogs should sleep in bed with their owners. Then, Dr. Varble answers pet questions from listeners.

Ilyce Glink, CEO of Best Money Moves financial wellness company, joins Lisa Dent to discuss how the S&P 500 is up to record highs. Then, Glink dives into the car industry, commercial disputes with Canada, and the impacts of a low GDP on the job market.

Marianne Murciano, Bob Sirott's wife and founder of Savvy-Planet, joins Bob to share some grilling tips for 4th of July cookouts. Marianne joins Bob for a weekly segment Fridays following the 8:30 am newscast. For more savvy tips, go to Savvy-Planet.Com. Share your own savvy tip: hello@savvy-planet.com. Follow Marianne on Twitter (@marimur), Instagram (@havanagirl), and on […]

Cindy Pearlman, senior writer for the New York Times and entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, joins Bob Sirott to talk about new music from Bruce Springsteen, a health update from Billy Joel, romance movies from The CW, and more details about Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy.

On June 27th, 2025, Steve Grzanich shares today's potential market drivers:

Shamus Toomey, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Shamus has details on: Damen Silos, Facing Demolition, Should Become Public Festival Grounds, Local Leaders Say: Preservation advocates are pushing for the state to regain control of the abandoned 23-acre site and redevelop it into […]

Dan Levy, host of the Barguments podcast, joins Bob Sirott to compare some of his favorite ice cream places, like Cold Stone Creamery, Plush Horse, and Andy’s Frozen Custard. He also talks about his mission to find Chicago’s best sandwich shops and his opinion of the 2025 winner of Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament.

June 26, 2026 City Club event description: The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the front door to the criminal justice system, and Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos has pledged to keep that door open to all by ensuring the office's services are transparent, accountable and accessible. Upon taking office in December of 2024, Clerk Spyropoulos began […]

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two rate cuts […]

Josh Sach, founder of Meela, joins John Williams once again to talk about his subscription service that provides personalized AI companionship to older adults. Josh also answers all of your questions about the service.

David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Hamline University, joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship and limiting the power of federal judges to rebuke President Trump's executive orders.

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the Supreme Court ruling related to birthright citizenship, and what we know about the effectiveness of the airstrikes in Iran.

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!

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two […]

Richard Bolton, author and owner of The Bunker, an Army and Navy Surplus Store, joins John Landecker to talk about his life story from the military to police officer to author to store owner and everything in between. For more information on The Bunker, visit their Facebook page here.

WGN-TV Weather Producer Bill Snyder joins John Landecker to discuss the heat we have seen the past few weeks and tell us if we have broken any records. Then Bill shares the weekend forecast!

After 3 weeks of voting on 64 Chicago area “Mom & Pop” Italian Beef places, we finally have a new champion of our annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Caruso Provisions. John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast cohost / WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff to call […]

Dan Podgorski, Lansing Village Administrator, joins John Williams to talk about his time as mayor of Lansing, what he would like people to know about Lansing, why it’s a great location for business, the beautiful old, traditional downtown, the importance of redevelopment, how long he’s worked in Lansing, and why it’s the perfect town to […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head to the Hoosier State and visit with Jordan Smith, Leisure Marketing […]

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

After 3 weeks of voting on 64 Chicago area “Mom & Pop” Italian Beef places, we finally have a new champion of our annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Caruso Provisions. John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast cohost / WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff to call […]

Dan Podgorski, Lansing Village Administrator, joins John Williams to talk about his time as mayor of Lansing, what he would like people to know about Lansing, why it’s a great location for business, the beautiful old, traditional downtown, the importance of redevelopment, how long he’s worked in Lansing, and why it’s the perfect town to […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head to the Hoosier State and visit with Jordan Smith, Leisure Marketing […]

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

The Director of Venues at Ford Hangar, Ken Reynolds, joins Lisa Dent to share all the the historic hangar has to offer. Then, Reynolds shares a bit about Lansing and a story about teaching a famous professional baseball player.

Michelle Henderson, Events Planner for Fox Pointe, joins Lisa Dent to share the events that Fox Pointe offers. From free concerts to community events, Fox Pointe provides the heart of Lansing fun occasions all year long.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th Ward, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the security upgrades for Wrigley Field advancing in City Council. Ald. Lawson shares when the upgrades will begin and how long they will take to complete.

Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the U. of I. and director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the project’s effort to strengthen the middle class in Illinois through policy. Bruno details the results of a joint study that show the Illinois is facing a […]

Columnist and film critic Richard Roeper joins Bob Sirott to talk about President Trump’s recent profanity and how media covers similar situations. They also share details about the Sox fan that was banned from all future MLB games and how punishments like this are enforced.

President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Steve Bernas joins Bob Sirott to talk about how much money was lost to business scams and why scammers are targeting people in parking lots. He also shares details about fake jury duty notices and “Bitcoin opportunities.”

On June 26th, 2025, Steve Grzanich shares today's potential market drivers:

Diamond Young (Assistant Vice President, Foreign Exchange at Associated Bank) joins Steve Grzanich in Associated Bank Thought Leader conversation to discuss how the airstrikes in Iran have affected the U.S. dollar and Foreign Exchange Market, as well as the potential de-dollarization of the U.S. dollar.

Mayor of Lansing, Illinois, Brian Hardy joins Bob Sirott to talk about how he created his business, Chicago’s Finest Ironworks, why he decided to run for mayor, and his time as a Lansing resident. He also shared details about their summer concert series and what spots tourists should visit.

Stephanie Lulay, Executive editor and Co-Founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. She provides details on: Patients Moved From One Sweltering Hospital To Another ‘Just Trying To Survive': After its air conditioning failed, Uptown's Weiss Hospital moved patients elsewhere, including to West Suburban Medical Center, which one patient […]

Dean Richards, entertainment reporter for WGN, joins Bob Sirott to provide the latest news in entertainment. Bob and Dean share details about Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy, the split of a popular celebrity couple, and the new director of the James Bond franchise. They also talk about Adam Sandler’s tour coming to the United Center, […]

June 25, 2025 Ciere Boatright, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Planning & Development, in conversation with Dan Gibbons, CEO, City Club Chicago City Club event description: Ciere Boatright, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Planning & Development, in conversation with Dan Gibbons, CEO, City Club Chicago Ciere Boatright was appointed commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head to the Hoosier State and visit with Jordan Smith, Leisure Marketing […]

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals head to New York to start the podcast and break down Zohran Mamdani winning the Democratic mayoral primary. What do the Rascals think the win means […]