WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

Broadway star Ashley Brown, who’s headlining the CSO’s  upcoming “Merry, Merry Chicago!” concerts, joins Justin to talk about her career, the difference between performing popular songs from the Great American Songbook and Christmas songs, how intricate some Christmas songs can be, the differences between doing a Broadway show and singing with an orchestra, when she became interested in music, how music made her come out of her shell, what propelled her to Broadway, the anxiety she experienced during her run […]

Professor, historian and author Elaine Lewinnek joins Justin to discuss her enthralling book, “The Working Man’s Reward: Chicago’s Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl.” Elaine talks about the marketing aspects of “The American Dream,” how immigrants brought the yearning for home ownership to the United States, how the real estate market created Chicago, the “coalition of whiteness,” zoning rules that pushed people away from downtown, when the suburban experience became what it is now, what it is about […]

It’s Tuesday night and we have just enough time for a quick episode of The Worst! If you are not familiar, this is the segment where we come together to collectively complain and bemoan about the worst things in society…for prizes! Tonight, Justin is joined by the wonderful Claire Zulkey, Megan Powell and Nelson Velazquez. Do you know what’s The Worst? Christmas tipping. Who do you tip? And how much? Do you have to tip the Amazon guy? The Worst! […]

Former Bears great Doug Plank joins Justin to break down what was good and what was bad about the Bears loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Doug talks about how this was a game that the Bears should have won, how penalties and dropped passes hurt their chances, quarterback Matt Barkley’s improvement, the impressive performance from the defense, the importance of playing hard in the final home games for the fans and what we should expect out of the […]

Touché is back! It’s time for another visit from political analysts Chris Varones and Dave Lundy to debate the top political stories of the week. Tonight, Chris and Dave discuss Russia playing a role in the election results, Donald Trump’s reluctance to take intelligence briefings and Trump’s choice for Secretary of State and other Cabinet positions. 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 […]

Joining Justin in-studio tonight for our Live from Studio 435 session is The Bangers! The Bangers talk about their music, how a band like this comes together, being attracted to the sounds of 60’s girl groups, playing holiday songs and their upcoming show at The Hideout.  The Bangers also perform a number of Christmas songs including, “Warm in the Winter,” “White Christmas,” “Marshmallow World” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” It’s not just a show, it’s a party!     […]

Stand-up comedian Alison Royer joins Justin to talk about her career in comedy, growing up in the Chicago area, moving to Los Angeles, writing about personal issues such as marriage, pregnancy and having a baby, making the transition from performing on stage to writing and perfecting the pessimistic viewpoint. 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

We have a terrific show planned for you! On tonight’s episode of The Download, we welcome back political analysts Chris Varones and Dave Lundy to debate all of the national political stories making news, comedy veteran Ron West chats about his role directing and starring in the Goodman Theatre’s production of “Twist Your Dickens,” Chicago Bears legend Doug Plank breaks down yet another Bears loss, comedian Alison Royer tells us why everything is terrible and we end the show in […]

Writer, actor, producer and director Ron West joins Justin to talk about his role directing and starring in the current production of the “A Christmas Carol” parody “Twist Your Dickens” at The Goodman Theatre. Ron discusses coming back to Chicago to play Scrooge, the challenges of directing the show as well as performing, what he knew about playing Scrooge, how much improv is involved in the show, the role that improv has played in his career, the improv explosion that […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the newspaper so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include Donald Trump denying the Russians were trying to meddle in American government, Trump taking to Twitter to criticize Lockheed Martin, Former Congressman Aaron Schock pleading not guilty to corruption charges, a new study suggesting that bikers in Chicago should be allowed to roll through stop signs and run red lights, Chipotle shaking up its leadership team, Apple releasing a […]