WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

Grammy Award-winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legendary musician Dr. John joins Justin to talk about his career, putting his spin on the music of fellow Crescent City icon Louis Armstrong, growing up in New Orleans, how he came into playing music, being tied together with the music of New Orleans, the importance of collaboration, the current jazz scene, his memories of Chicago and his upcoming “Spirit of Satch” show at Symphony Center. Follow Justin on Twitter and […]

The tremendous actor Justin Kirk (“Weeds,” “Angels in America”) joins Justin to discuss his upcoming appearance at the Chicago Podcast Festival for “Selected Shorts: Too Hot for Radio.” Justin talks about the popularity of staged readings and storytelling, his new show that he’s shooting in Chicago, the differences between working on stage and working in film and television, why he continues to go back to theater, what he brings to each character he plays and his love of the Shedd Aquarium. […]

Tom Zenner, former NBC 5 sports reporter, joins Justin to discuss his commemorative book about the historic 2016 Chicago Cubs. Tom talk about what made this Cubs team special, the process of putting the book together, the key storylines that framed the magical Cubs season, how Cubs fans are different from other fans across the country, how this team compares to the great Bulls teams of the 90’s and the chances he’ll  have to write another book about a Chicago […]

Kitty Kurth and Chris Varones join Justin to talk about a wide variety of issues including Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Town Hall Meeting, Donald Trump’s transition team and the appointment of Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee  to be his White House chief of staff and Stephen Bannon his senior counselor and chief West Wing strategist. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download with Justin Kaufmann airs Monday through Friday from 7 pm to […]

The Bears are coming off their bye week and Adam Hoge is back to chat with Justin about what the rest of the season holds for the team. Adam and Justin talk about the confidence the team has after their win over the Vikings, using the win as a motivating factor for the rest of the season, the improvement of the team with Jay Cutler at quarterback and what we should look for this Sunday against Tampa Bay. Follow Justin […]

Morningstar CEO Joe Mansueto joins Justin to talk about his career, why he’s stepping down, running the business from Chicago rather than New York or San Francisco, how the company and the business climate has changed since he started in the 1980’s, investing and cultivating a startup scene in Chicago, what he looks for when he invests, his interest in media companies, the challenges facing newspapers, the corporate community having to step up where government can’t, funding schools in Chicago, […]

Chicago-based jazz and soul singer Lili K joins Justin to talk about her career, working and recording with a live band, when she became interested in jazz music, the influence of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday on her sound, being part of the Chicago music scene, the community that surrounds the music, when she decided to make music her vocation, the evolution of her songwriting, the election of Donald Trump, her latest single “Magic” and her forthcoming record due out […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the newspaper so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include the fallout from Tuesday night’s election, President-elect Trump meeting with President Obama, protests erupting in major cities around the country, athletes getting political about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Hawks continuing their winning streak and the Bulls heading down to Miami to take on the Heat. Follow Justin on Twitter and give him a like on Facebook. The Download […]

What an amazing and historic night here at WGN as Donald Trump wins the 2016 presidential election! Justin and co-host Steve Edwards break down all of the races and stories coming out of election night with help from a rotating panel of experts and analysts including Walter Jacobson, Tracy Sefl, Kirk Dillard, Matt Murphy, Dave Lundy, Amara Enyia, Carol Felsenthal, Ray Long, Ken Davis, Amy Guth, Salim Muwakkil, Patti Vasquez, Eric Elk, Ken Jakubowski and Cook County Board President Toni […]

It’s a super-sized edition of Touché! Tomorrow is election day and political analysts Charles Lipson, Tracy Sefl, Dave Lundy and Chris Robling are here to give us all the details on what we need to know before heading to the polls. Nobody does election 2016 like 720! 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