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We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast DC

City Cast DC staff

Beloved newsletter editor Kaela Cote-Stemmermann is taking a new role at City Cast DC, where she will cover food and culture and author a weekly newsletter called “Obsessed.” Her newsletter, 

, will feature original reporting and local recs that bring readers closer to D.C.

Kaela joined City Cast DC in 2022. Over the past four years as Senior Newsletter Editor, she published more than 1,000 editions of City Cast DC’s popular daily newsletter, delivering smart, digestible local news to Washingtonians. Under her authorship, the newsletter grew by more than 60,000 subscribers, becoming one of the most-read newsletters in the City Cast network.

Her food writing has taken her across the city, from interviewing the DMV’s first 3-star Michelin chef 

 at the Inn at Little Washington to sharing a bowl of spicy noodles with 

 whose celebrated Chinese restaurants pioneered D.C.’s Sichuan cooking scene. She also 

, a social restaurant-ranking app quietly reshaping how D.C. foodies discover and track their meals, interviewing the app's top-ranked D.C. user.

 are beloved, including her original “Walk a Mile” series where she explores a mile-long stretch in D.C., uncovering everything from Ethiopian breakfasts to natural wine bars along the way.

," a love letter to Washington that resonated widely during the city's federal takeover, an ongoing guide to 

“As City Cast DC expands, moving Kaela into a reporting role made so much sense,” said Senior Executive Producer Annie Rees. “Over the four years she’s been at City Cast, she has built a loyal following of readers — the team often jokes she’s our local celebrity, because of how excited people are to meet her at member events — and her writing frequently makes me laugh out loud. I’m so excited to read “Obsessed” and I know the rest of D.C. will be too.”

“I was a fan of Kaela before I even joined City Cast,” said Managing Editor Yu Vongkiatkajorn. “Her voice, curation, and sense of humor always made the newsletter a pleasure to read. I’m so excited for Kaela to bring her skills to this beat, help us make the most out of living in D.C., and share all the weird and wonderful things about this city.”

Previously, Kaela worked in communications at the Department of State and covered antitrust and competition law at Global Competition Review.

A Boston native and graduate of Scripps College in Los Angeles, Kaela lives in Adams Morgan with a cranky cat. When she isn’t sleuthing for local gossip, you can find her biking around to her favorite cafes.

Yu Vongkiatkajorn Joins City Cast DC as Managing Editor

Yu Vongkiatkajorn is joining City Cast DC as Managing Editor. She’ll edit the beat reporters’ original reporting and their newsletters. Yu is the second editor hired as part of a major expansion in City Cast DC’s newsroom.

Yu Vongkiatkajorn is an editor who has helped lead coverage and audience strategy at The Washington Post. Most recently, she served as the breaking news and general assignment editor on the Metro desk, where she led a team focused on timely, original stories about life in the Washington region.

Earlier at the Post, Yu worked on initiatives to reach new audiences, helping launch newsletters, podcasts and other editorial experiments in collaboration with product, marketing and analytics teams. She also developed a process for conducting newsroom analyses and providing strategic recommendations.

“When we began looking for the right person to fill this role, one person’s name kept coming up: ‘Yu – have you met Yu?’ ‘Hire Yu,’” said Annie Rees, Senior Executive Producer of City Cast DC.” From the moment we talked with her, it was clear why she was so universally regarded by reporters and editors she worked with. Sharp, clear-headed and creative, with years of Metro and Audience experience to boot, she is a crucial piece in making City Cast DC a local powerhouse.”

Yu will be working alongside Michael Schaffer, City Cast DC’s Executive Editor, to shape CCDC’s new products. “We want to publish impactful, attention-getting journalism about Washington even as the local media environment undergoes a wild shift,” Schaffer said. “Yu immediately got the idea of galvanizing a team to do stuff that connects with an audience and obliges that audience to follow what we're up to.”

Yu began her journalism career at Mother Jones in San Francisco. She grew up in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

Emma Uber is joining Cast Cast DC as a reporter. She'll write a twice-weekly newsletter with the juiciest, most memorable, most consequential stories playing out in the DMV. Emma is the first reporter hired as part of a major expansion in City Cast DC's newsroom.

Previously, Emma covered local breaking news and public safety for The Washington Post, where she distinguished herself with scoops and sharp stories. Emma began covering D.C. police for The Post just days before President Donald Trump federalized the city's police force and deployed the National Guard. She analyzed 

 to deliver a comprehensive account of how an unprecedented federal law enforcement surge was playing out on the District’s streets and doggedly covered 

Her reporting on a change to U.S. Park Police's 

 caused two Democratic lawmakers to open an investigation and her coverage of federal agents shooting at drivers during traffic stops was referenced as the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation requiring the city police department to release body-camera footage when a local officer witnesses a federal officer shoot someone.

“Emma is a rare talent – a brilliant, passionate, high-energy journalist,” said Annie Rees, Senior Executive Producer of City Cast DC. “With Emma as a reporter, City Cast DC will evolve into the city’s most indispensable – and most fun – place to find local coverage. We look forward to announcing the other reporters who will join Emma in the coming days.”

Hoosier born-and-raised, Emma graduated from Indiana University, where she earned degrees in journalism and international studies. Prior to moving to D.C. and joining the Washington Post in 2024, she covered breaking news at the Tampa Bay Times, interned with Indianapolis Monthly magazine, and worked with the national investigative team at USA Today.

Michael Schaffer Joins City Cast as Executive Editor 

Michael Schaffer is joining City Cast DC full-time as a host and executive editor as the national podcast network begins staffing a local Washington newsroom to complement and expand its daily audio and newsletter offerings.

A D.C. native and former editor-in-chief of both Washington City Paper and Washingtonian magazine, Schaffer is one of the most experienced editors and writers in local Washington. During his eight years at Washingtonian, the magazine was twice judged America’s best big-city magazine. He most recently wrote the Capital City column in Politico.

A co-host of City Cast DC since its 2022 launch, he’s developed a reputation with listeners for a deep knowledge of the city, an ability to find humor in the city’s quirks, and a willingness to ask probing questions of political leaders and fellow journalists alike.

Schaffer’s hire comes as City Cast, a nationwide network of local podcasts, is in the midst of an expansion in D.C., with plans to hire a staff of local journalists to focus on robust coverage of city politics, regional business, local culture, as well as the personalities and institutions that make the city tick.

In his new role, Schaffer will continue to anchor City Cast DC’s flagship daily podcast alongside co-host Bridget Todd. He’ll also help shape City Cast DC’s new team of reporters and produce his own column about his hometown at a moment of radical disruption.

Schaffer arrives as City Cast undergoes an unprecedented expansion of its local newsroom, hiring a team of journalists to create original reporting about the D.C. area. The new journalists will enable City Cast DC to roll out additional newsletters, podcasts, articles, and social offerings.

“As he's proved time and time again in the past 30 years, Michael Schaffer is the smartest, most insightful, and funniest observer of local Washington,” said City Cast CEO David Plotz. “He can do it all: Podcast! Report! Write! Edit! With Michael as our Executive Editor, City Cast DC is going to be the city’s must-listen and must-read.”

City Cast is a network of daily local news podcasts and newsletters in 13 cities around the country, covering news, culture, and things to do in your community. Owned by Graham Holdings Co. in Arlington, VA, City Cast aims to be the smartest, easiest way to connect with the place you live and love.

City Cast DC is undergoing an unprecedented expansion of its local newsroom, hiring a team of journalists to create original reporting about the D.C. area. 

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann Is City Cast DC’s New Food and Culture Reporter

News and updates about the City Cast DC podcast and Hey DC newsletter.

City Cast DC Announcements

Announcements

Yu Vongkiatkajorn

Hey D.C., I’m Yu, City Cast DC’s new managing editor overseeing our reporters. 

I was one of the journalists laid off at the Washington Post, and I joined City Cast because I believe deeply in its mission of helping residents stay connected and providing original reporting for the city. We’ve been growing our staff and adding more reporting to our website, podcast and newsletters — and we’re only getting started.

We have some big news for you: In just a couple of weeks, we’re launching 

If you're already a subscriber to City Cast DC, you will 

Obsessed is Kaela Cote-Stemmermann’s newsletter on food and culture. 

If you’ve been reading our daily newsletter (now being authored by our executive editor and podcast co-host Michael Schaffer), then you probably love Kaela’s signature smarts and humor. After writing a daily newsletter for four years, we wanted a place for Kaela’s writing about D.C. to truly shine. I’m so excited for her to now be fully immersed in what she loves: being your guide to the best food and events in the city.

In Kaela’s words, the newsletter is “an absolutely local, always fun, and totally honest weekly dispatch on D.C. food and culture.” It launches May 14. Follow her on 

is Emma Uber’s weekly newsletter on the stories that everyone in Washington is talking about. 

She’ll take you deeper into the scandals, disputes and delights of life in the District, touching on subjects both light and serious.

Emma joined City Cast from the Washington Post and says she’s thrilled to be part of a newsroom investing in local news. “As soon as I met the City Cast team, it became clear they love D.C. and care deeply about the people who live here,” she says. “I can't wait to work with them to bring D.C.'s must-read stories to your inbox."

Her newsletter starts May 20. Follow her on 

When City Cast DC launched its daily podcast and newsletter back in 2022, the goal was simple: help D.C. residents stay connected to their city and become better neighbors. That hasn't changed. But now, we’ll also bring you essential original reporting you can’t get anywhere else.

This expansion isn’t possible without community support. 

We need more Neighbors to make this work long term.

Become a neighbor

Being a Neighbor isn’t just for feeling good about supporting local news, though. Neighbors get exclusive perks and this week only, a free welcome gift. The choice between 

 to declare your love for D.C. and the people who live here.

I hope you sign up for our newsletters and consider becoming a member. Thanks for your support.

Sign up now to get the big stories Washington is talking about and our can't-miss guide to food and culture. 

We're launching two new newsletters

David Plotz

City Cast is committed to tracking–and publishing–demographic information about our podcast guests. Diversity is a 

, and accountability is another. We want to have podcast guests who are diverse in race and ethnicity, gender, economic background, and geography. Tracking and publicizing guest demographics is a way to hold us accountable for representing the diversity of DC.

So are we living up to our values? How diverse is our podcast guest pool, really?

This is the third year of data we have about City Cast DC’s guests. (

.) We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. About 80% of guests responded in 2025.The following data encompass a total of 70 guests who appeared on the podcast between Nov. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2025.. (We did not count City Cast DC staffers who appeared on the podcast.)

We then used census data to compare our podcast guests to the broader city and metro populations. This helps us see how well we’re reflecting the community we’re serving.

As you can see in the chart, City Cast DC’s guests were more white than the population of the city and region. We had fewer Hispanic/Latinx guests than you’d expect, given the local population. Only 8% of City Cast DC guests were Black, down sharply from 23 percent in 2024.

We also asked about gender identity. About 47 percent of our guests identified as female, with 52% identifying as male and 2% identifying as non-binary.

Learn more about guest diversity on other City Cast podcasts here.

This is the third year of data we have about City Cast DC’s guests. We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. 

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2025?

Welcome to City Cast DC Neighbors, our newly-revamped membership program that helps deepen your connection to D.C. Here’s everything you need to know about our growing Neighbor community.

What It Means to Be a City Cast DC Neighbor

At City Cast DC, our team brings you the stories that matter — right here in our own backyard. In a barrage of national headlines, we spotlight the conversations impacting our neighborhoods, and celebrate the neighbors who make D.C. unique.

Because better neighbors make for better cities.

Your membership directly supports local journalism and the stories you rely on to better understand D.C. Here’s what else you get:

 You’ll get access to events like special insider tours, local volunteering meetups, happy hours with other City Cast DC Neighbors, and other Neighbors-only events where we share ideas about how to make the city better for everyone.

submit your favorite local business or organization

 to be mentioned in the show and in the Hey DC newsletter. It’s your chance to shine a light on the local spots making a difference.

 right in your inbox every Monday, so you can snag tickets and plan ahead.

 A special feed just for Neighbors where you can listen to the City Cast DC podcast without advertisements.

 on the City Cast DC podcast and Hey DC newsletter.

Become a City Cast DC Neighbor and help us build a better city, one good neighbor at a time.

Join the growing community of City Cast DC Neighbors

Here’s everything you need to know about our new membership program, expanded benefits, and member exclusives.

What Is City Cast DC Neighbors?

This is the second year of data we have about City Cast DC’s guests. (

.) We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. About 95% of guests responded in 2024. The following data encompass a total of 132 responding guests who appeared on the podcast between Nov. 1, 2023 and Oct. 31, 2024. (We did not count City Cast DC staffers who appeared on the podcast.)

As you can see in the chart, City Cast DC’s guests were more white than the population of the city and region. We had fewer Hispanic/Latinx guests than you’d expect, given the local population. We did increase the number of black guests on City Cast DC in 2024 to more closely match the metro population. About 23% of City Cast DC guests were Black, up from only 15% in 2023.

We also asked about gender identity. Exactly half of our guests identified as female, with 49% identifying as male and 1% identifying as non-binary.

This is the second year of data we have about City Cast DC’s guests. We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. 

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2024?

When we launched City Cast in 2021, we committed to tracking–and publishing–demographic information about our podcast guests. Diversity is a 

We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. About 95% of guests responded in 2023. The following data encompass a total of 142 responding guests who collectively made 207 podcast appearances from Nov. 1, 2022 through Nov. 9, 2023. (We did not count City Cast DC staffers who appeared on the podcast.)

We then used census data to compare our podcast guests to the broader city population. This helps us see how well we’re reflecting the community we’re serving.

As you can see in the chart, City Cast DC’s guests were more white than the population of the city and region. We had fewer Hispanic/Latinx and Black guests than you’d expect, given the local population. Only 15% of City Cast DC guests were Black, compared to 42% of the city and 24% of the metro area. Based on these data, we can do a better job representing DC’s racial and ethnic diversity than we did in 2023.

We also asked about gender identity. A 54% majority of our guests identified as male, with 44% identifying as female and 2% identifying as non-binary.

Learn more about guest diversity on other City Cast podcasts here

Diversity is a core City Cast DC value, and accountability is another. Here's how diverse our City Cast DC podcast guests were in 2023.

Announcements

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann Is City Cast DC’s New Food and Culture Reporter

We're launching two new newsletters

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2025?

Latest articles

What Is City Cast DC Neighbors?

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2024?

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2023?