John Williams

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Brandon Pope, of WCIU, and longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys! The Rascals start off the podcast talking about the protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. What are the major takeaways from the protests? ABC News didn’t renew the contract […]

Patrick Evans, Lead Writer for the Legal Sports Report, joins John Williams to talk about FanDuel adding a 50-cent surcharge on Illinois bets to offset state taxes. Patrick explains what this all means and how it might impact the industry. Does Patrick think FanDuel would ever leave Illinois?

Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, joins John Williams to talk about ABC News firing correspondent Terry Moran after he criticized Stephen Miller and President Trump on social media. Jane also breaks down The Pew Research Center news media tracker on how Americans use and trust 30 media […]

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob tells us why you shouldn’t be watering your lawn at night.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, joins John to talk about some gift ideas for Father’s Day. Also, Carl tells John about Abt’s newest attraction: The Bear, a remarkably preserved skeleton of an 85,000-year-old cave bear! Customers can also make history by helping name the Cave Bear through a social media contest running from […]

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about Sly Stone dying after a prolonged battle with COPD, if he’s concerned about the ability to get flu shots this fall, and to share his thoughts on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removing the 17 independent vaccine experts from the […]

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the Trump administration wanting to give $1000 to every newborn, his thoughts on Medical Aid in Dying legislation, and if he prefers TV episodes all being dropped at one time as opposed to being released week-to-week.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says it’s time to repair cracks in your walkways and to seal your asphalt driveway. As always, Lou answers all of your questions! Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

Chicago Tribune theater critic, author and editorial page editor Chris Jones joins John Williams to talk about the 2025 Tony Awards including ‘Purpose’ winning best play after it was first produced at Steppenwolf, and the success of ‘Oh, Mary.’ Chris also talks about the live production of ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ and why the story still resonates today.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com.

No AI-generated book titles are found amongst the books our WGN crew of readers recently read and are recommending. If you’re looking for something to read next, take a look at fiction and non-fiction selections from John Williams, Steve Alexander, Bob Kessler and Sara Tieman. And check back at wgnradio.com/books for all our past recommendations! […]

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the good job report, what is driving the market today, the dustup between President Trump and Elon Musk, the outlook for Tesla (and EV’s in general) moving forward, the fantastic run that gold has had recently, what he thinks of Fed policy, […]

Jack Godfrey, musical theatre composer, lyricist and writer, joins John Williams to talk about the musical, ‘42 Balloons,’ now showing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Jack tells John about his career path and what led him to musical theater, when he became interested in the story of Lawnchair Larry, what made him want to write […]

NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about the latest on the President Trump v. Elon Musk beef. How seriously should we be taking this?

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take a short trip north of the border and visit with Christine […]

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com!

Beloved ex-WGN’er Joe Brand joins John Williams to talk about how life has been since he was named the radio voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins last fall! Joe says he misses Chicago’s grid system and wouldn’t have the Penguins job without the support from all his friends at WGN Radio.

Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, Founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about the reported deal between the Chicago Sports Network and Comcast that will allow Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox games to be broadcast on the network.