WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

The Daily Line‘s Mike Fourcher joins Justin for his weekly visit to break down the top local political stories making news this week including Governor Rauner vetoing the school funding bill SB1, what will happen if CPS doesn’t get the money from SB1 , the upcoming Illinois State Fair and the traditional kick-off for the 2018 gubernatorial race. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through Friday from 7 pm. to 11 pm on @WGNRadio

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the news so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blasting the media, a stunning new lawsuit filed against FOX News, Governor Rauner vetoing the school funding bill, Cook County getting ready to implement the soda tax, violence in Chicago continuing to rise, the Cubs taking on Arizona at Wrigley, the White Sox receiving some positive injury news about highly touted prospect […]

9Mag Tattoo artist and the star of the VH-1 reality show, “Black Ink Crew Chicago,” Van Johnson joins Justin to talk about his life, what it’s like doing a reality show, how he started his tattoo career, the skill that goes into being a tattoo artist, what he had to learn about being a tattoo artist, how his experience in prison changed him, the time constraints of being a reality television star, the passion he has for tattoo art, when tattoo […]

It’s Tuesday night so that means it is time to come together and collectively complain and bemoan about #TheWorst things in society…for prizes! Tonight, Justin is joined by the great Paul Thomas and Seth Thomas aka The Defiant Thomas Brothers! Do you know what’s The Worst? When you realize the numbers on a toaster are actually minutes and not level of toastiness. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through Friday from 7 pm. […]

It’s Tuesday night so that means we have another episode of “The Download on Chicago Business” sponsored by Signature Bank. Tonight, Justin speaks with Lifeway Foods CEO Julie Smolyansky about inheriting the company when she was only 27 years old, the tremendous amount of growth the company has gone through since she took over, her dream to take the company global, the health benefits of Kefir, the challenges of marketing the product, how people’s flavor profiles are changing, the importance of […]

Tony Esposito, vocalist and guitar player for the Louisville-based indie-rock band White Reaper, joins Justin to talk about playing in Chicago, reacting off the mood of a crowd, what attracted to him the rock and roll sound of the late ’70’s, the evolution of their sound, always wanting to create something new, their latest record, “The World’s Best American Band” and their upcoming sets at Lincoln Hall and Lollapalooza. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann […]

We have another jam-packed show for you! On tonight’s episode of The Download, political analysts Chris Robling and Dave Lundy go head to head debating the top national political stories making news this week, SNL’s Kyle Mooney and Dave McCary tell us about their new film, “Brigsby Bear,” WGN’s Sam Panayotovich breaks down all of the MLB trade deadline action, the Philadelphia-based indie rock group The Districts talk about their set at Lollapalooza and we end the show in Studio […]

Braden Lawrence from the Philadelphia-based indie rock band The Districts joins Justin to talk about playing in Chicago, their forthcoming record, “Popular Manipulations,” how making the new record differed from the making of their last two records, the advantage of playing in a band with friends, the importance of having other creative outlets, being on a highly respected label, the fertile Philadelphia rock scene and their shows this week at The Vic and Lollapalooza. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a […]

Authors Lori Rader-Day (“The Day I Died“) and Kristen Lepionka (“The Last Place You Look“) join Justin to discuss their latest books, when they became interested in writing mystery stories, the supportive community of mystery writers and readers, exploring different ways to tell this type of story, the differences between mystery, suspense, thriller and crime fiction, the process of creating their work, trying to write beyond the tropes, the popularity of the mystery genre, and their event tomorrow in Forest […]

Pianist-singer-songwriter Judith Owen and legendary bassist Leland Sklar join Justin in Studio 435 to talk about their amazing careers in music, the memories they have of playing Chicago, Judith’s new record, “Somebody’s Child,” why they collaborate so well together, developing skills that equal their passion and their show this Sunday night at Space in Evanston. Judith also performs a few songs including “Somebody’s Child,” “Send Me a Line” and the Bryan Ferry classic “More Than This.”         […]