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The Best Podcasts in Madison (That Aren’t City Cast Madison)

Posted on November 11, 2025   |   Updated on November 12, 2025
Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas

Four people talking around a table covered in microphones and laptops.

City Cast Madison isn't the only game in town when it comes to podcasts! (Hayley Sperling / City Cast Madison)

You don’t have to tell us here at City Cast Madison that podcasts are a great way to connect with your city. Whether you’re driving in your car, doing the dishes or going for a run, we’ve always got our earbuds in listening to something.

UW-Madison’s Center For Campus History has used long-form documentary podcasts to explore the history behind some of the university’s most complicated issues. After looking into campus policing in its first season, the new season of “Reorientation” delves into campus housing, and how decisions made a century ago have created the expensive, competitive housing market we see today.

On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to “Reorientation” co-host Kacie Lucchini Butcher about researching 150 years of campus housing history and bringing it to life.

City Cast

Can College Students Afford to Live in Madison?

00:00:00

Here are some other locally-made podcasts that are still going strong to bring Madison into your headphones.

Buzz Kemper of Audio of the Arts interviews UW-Madison professors on a variety of topics, from regulating eco-anxiety to Wisconsin’s cranberry crops.

Host Angela Russell illuminates and celebrates the lives of Black residents in Wisconsin. The podcast has been on hiatus for a few months but is coming back with new episodes.

Former City Council candidate Noah Lieberman’s new podcast looks at local and state issues from a progressive perspective, featuring interviews with Madison leaders.

Pam Jahnke, aka the “Fabulous Farm Babe,” reports on the latest farm news in this daily podcast, from Wisconsin’s honey yield to the latest agriculture bills before the Legislature.

Therapist and CEO Myra Renee interviews people who have gone beyond their intentions and made real, positive change in their communities.

Zach Heilprin of the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network hosts this podcast about the ins and outs of Wisconsin Badgers football. He finally had some good news on this week’s episode about the Badgers’ upset win over Washington.

The official podcast of Discover Wisconsin features hosts Andrea Boehlke and Megan Christian cozying up with Badger State topics, from travel tips to tales of Wisconsin history.

Onetime City Cast Madison producer and former West Coaster Phil Surkis overcomes his midwestern culture shock by interviewing Madisonians, including our own Bianca Martin!

Miss that last Madison City Council meeting you were interested in? The city has a wealth of podcasts for all kinds of city meetings to catch you up, along with “Know Your Candidate” interviews.

Want to start your own business, or hear about somebody else who did? Madison entrepreneurs Therese Merkel of Tricky Foods and Shelby Olstad of Miggy’s Bakes talk to Wisconsinites who pursued their dreams, including Craig Culver of Culver’s.

Madison365 created this weekly podcast digging into the news involving Madison’s citizens of color and their allies. Recent news stories have included the state of Wisconsin’s FoodShare program and digging into a false news story about Urban Triage.

Madison life coach Alecia Jacobson interviews women who have faced great challenges in their lives and discovered their inner resilience and strength.

Pour yourself a pint and listen to Brian Hanson talk about the local craft brew scene, including hearing the origin stories of local brewers.

A group of friends who studied philosophy in college get together to talk about how the ideas of history’s great thinkers can be applied to modern life.

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