City Cast Pittsburgh

This weekend, the Steelers are heading across the pond to play the Vikings in Dublin. If you want to catch the game at 9:30 Sunday morning, a bunch of sports bars around the city are rolling out special menu items and hosting very early happy hours. City Cast's Megan Harris and Zack Durkin are talking about their favorite sports bars in Pittsburgh and what makes them special, whether it's top-tier wings, an enormous screen, or breakfast buffets. 

Need even more recommendations? Here's our full list of sports bars for Steelers season.

Don't miss our episode about how Pittsburgh and Bottlerocket Social Hall are becoming comedy destinations.

Get more from City Cast Pittsburgh when you become a City Cast Pittsburgh Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm/ 

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 25th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Planned Parenthood of Western PA

City Cast Neighbors - Now through Oct. 3 when you sign up you get this awesome tote that says Neighbors Make Pittsburgh

Babbel - Get up to 55% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

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Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

We've got a strong biking community here in Pittsburgh, and some avid riders want to see a bike lane added to Penn Avenue. That proposal's gotten major pushback; one group in the Strip District is even suing the city over the change. But since we all need to share the road with each other, executive producer Mallory Falk's talking with Bike Pittsburgh's education manager Ted King-Smith. He's sharing how bikers can smoothly navigate Pittsburgh's hills and bridges — plus, what bikers and drivers need to know so we can all get around safely together. 

Redd up on the city’s Penn Avenue rightsizing project, and leave a comment if you have strong feelings.

Feeling inspired to ditch your car? A Week Without Driving runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, and Pittsburgh's celebrating with a community lecture night from a disability justice group, a happy hour, a meetup on the river, and more.

Get more from City Cast Pittsburgh when you become a City Cast Pittsburgh Neighbor. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at https://membership.citycast.fm/ 

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 24th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Planned Parenthood of Western PA

City Cast Neighbors - Now through Oct. 3 when you sign up you get this awesome tote that says Neighbors Make Pittsburgh

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

Gambling is everywhere in Pennsylvania, including casinos, apps, the lottery, skill games, and fantasy sports. It’s fun for some but also incredibly addictive. And while PA has a way for players to ban themselves from gambling, critics say it’s easy to get around and the penalties don’t incentivize big companies to prevent problem behavior. Axios Philadelphia’s Isaac Avilucea joins City Cast Philly host Trenae Nuri to explain what’s at stake and how our government actually benefits when Pennsylvanians play.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 23rd episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Planned Parenthood of Western PA

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

Pittsburgh just launched an anti-bias coalition, but did you know there's an office that can help if you feel like you're being discriminated against? The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations has been around since before the Civil Rights Act, and their investigations into housing, employment, and other forms of discrimination yield real, enforceable results. Executive director Rachel Shepherd and deputy director Chris Soult join us to talk about their work and how you can tap into these free supports.

Think you’ve experienced discrimination? You can submit an inquiry on the PghCHR portal, call their office at 412-255-2600, or email [email protected]. 

Learn more about Stand for All, the city's new anti-hate, anti-bias coalition.

**This episode originally aired on February 22, 2025.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 22nd episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Planned Parenthood of Western PA

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

More and more vape shops are popping up in Pittsburgh — there are nearly 30 in Downtown alone! — and city council is considering a bill that would put some restrictions on where they can open. Executive producer Mallory Falk and producer Sophia Lo explain the proposal. Plus, they talk about the Trump administration's threats to withhold billions of dollars in food stamp funding if PA doesn't turn over personal data, Gov. Josh Shapiro's remarks on political violence at a recent anti-hate summit in Pittsburgh, and how a permitting mishap with the team behind the (Emmy award-winning!) show "The Pitt" led to extra traffic Downtown.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 19th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh!

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There's a lot of debate about where Pittsburgh is part of the East Coast, Midwest, or Appalachia, but one thing we can say for sure: Pittsburgh is not part of the South. And for some people, that means that our barbecue scene can be lacking. While we might not live up to the pitmasters in the Carolinas or Texas, we promise that if you're willing to look, you'll still find tender meats, tasty sauces, and great sides. City Paper's Colin Williams is here to tell Host (and born-and-bred Southerner!) Megan Harris where to satisfy your barbecue cravings.

Plus, if you love spice and heat, check out the city's first hot sauce festival at Velum Fermentation on October 4.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 18th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

Pittsburgh has seen its share of catastrophe — from unexpected weather bringing flooding and brutal windstorms to man-made calamities like devastating fires, explosions, and even escaped monkeys. (Seriously. That’s happened here a surprising number of times.) As our nation’s leaders consider doing away with things like federal emergency response, we’re taking stock of all the times it would’ve been really great to have more help, not less. Host Megan Harris is with writer and author Virginia Montanez to talk about some of Pittsburgh's biggest disasters and the important lessons we’ve learned along the way.  

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 17th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

President Trump's been sending — or threatening to send — National Guard troops to major cities all over the country, and it got us wondering where Pittsburgh might be on his long list. Should Pittsburgh (or Philadelphia) be worried? City Cast Pittsburgh’s Megan Harris and Mallory Falk talk about what’s happening, what’s legal, and whether Gov. Josh Shapiro’s big talk about being “prepared” could make us more of a target.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 16th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

Pittsburgh's getting all glammed up before the NFL Draft next year. But shiny renovation projects (like a new-and-improved Market Square) can only go so far if our hillsides are covered in trash. The city, county and a bunch of local groups just launched a big cleanup campaign called "Immaculate Collection" to redd up our region before company comes over. But why does our city get so dirty in the first place, and what can we do about it? We're revisiting our conversation with Caily Grube, executive director of Allegheny CleanWays, about tackling Pittsburgh's trash problem.

Allegheny CleanWays is one of the partners behind Immaculate Collection. Learn more about the campaign and their cleanup events here.

**This episode originally aired on June 23, 2025.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 15th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Earlier this week, we talked about a city council proposal to regulate Airbnbs and other short term rentals — and our listeners had a lot to say! Host Megan Harris, executive producer Mallory Falk, and producer Sophia Lo are opening the mailbag to share your perspectives. Plus, we discuss how PA's budget impasse is starting to hurt everyday people and why Uber decided to enter the chat. We also run through some local wins and losses, from the Squirrel Hill fire to Poulet Bleu's return.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 12th episode:

Fulton Commons

AIDS Free Pittsburgh

Huel - Get 15% off with code PITTSBURGH

Heinz History Center

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

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