The City

2,588

USA TODAY’s critically acclaimed investigative podcast about power in American cities.

Season 1, Chicago: A black neighborhood fights back when a mysterious man with mob ties builds an illegal dump across the street from an elementary school. Along the way they confront corrupt politicians, apathetic bureaucrats—and a secret undercover FBI investigation.

Season 2, Reno: A surprising proxy battle for the future of Reno pits a brash strip club kingpin against power brokers in city hall. The winner-takes-all fight could remake the city—and ruin lives in the process.

Recent Episodes
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Recent Reviews
  • OH-IO09
    Bring this Back USA TODAY!
    See title
  • kiramwebster
    Loved it all!
    Listened to both seasons of this show as I was in nearby cities, very fun to connect with it like that!
  • zach5279
    Incredibly Interesting.
    Listened to both seasons. Audibly gasped when I heard it was cancelled. Was fully looking forward to her coverage and perspectives of another city!
  • adriana😊
    Biggest Little City in the World
    I’m so disappointed that this podcast was canceled. The way you covered Northern Nevada was insane! I didn’t realize how big of an underbelly my hometown had. Thanks for all of your hard work!! I know I’m late to the party, but I’m so glad I found you and binged it one day at work.
  • jbabde
    Great storyline bad voice editing
    I enjoyed reading the original longform story and was led to the podcast. But right off the bat, the narrator’s voice is sped up from her native speech cadence so much that it’s painful to listen. I prefer to listen to her voice as she would likely talk and it’s nothing close to the speed you’re hearing
  • Wondery!
    Season 1. Season 3??
    Season 1 was great! I really liked it, I was really interested and I thought everything was done so well. I listened to the trailer for Suspect, but I can’t find any more episodes. I’m guessing Season 3 is for Suspect, but where is it??
  • gfsyuhvcghhh
    Interesting but
    Mainly made up story to segregate races
  • Jenn804
    Please do more!!! Season 3,4,5...
    Loving every minute of this podcast. So sad there won’t be more seasons to come.
  • •Andrea>
    Great investigative format!
    This podcast is a fantastic portrayal of how there’s layers of drama, ulterior motives and power-plays in every town & government- you just have to do some digging...
  • Mastercast Reviews
    A New Look at Crime
    The City: Wow this podcast is the best non-murder investigative series I’ve ever heard. It looks at how authority and power works in American cities and had two seasons before its producer USA Today canceled the show. The first season looks at a Black Chicago community’s fight to get rid of an illegal dump across the street from an elementary school. The story is made up of many different parts, some expected and some unexpected, including bizarre legal technicalities, corrupt politics, mob crime, a six-story debris pile, and a twist I couldn’t have predicted. Told through the voices of those who lived it the podcast provides an intimate and detailed looks into one neighborhood’s struggle for equality. Host Robin Amer created and narrated the 10 part miniseries. Each episode is on average 29 minutes long but the show has no commercials. I loved the reporter’s voice which I felt wasn’t trying to be a Dateline host and the music is very professional. Script is of an excellent quality and is supported by secretly recorded conversations, first person testimonials from high ranking public officials, and witness accounts. Similar Pods: Criminal, Empty Frames, The Pope’s Long Con, Dear Franklin Jones, Disgraceland, Breakdown, The Fall Line, The Grift, Secret Time, Crime in Sports, Heist, Fake Heiress, wecrashed, Shedunnit, Slow Burn, Swindled, Uncover, Mugshot, The Dream More reviews on insta @themastercast
  • Shannanews
    Love both seasons
    Season 1 breaking down the mess of Chicago politics was great. Things never change. Season 2 in Reno is so well researched & gives so much contextual history. Fascinated by both. Great journalism.
  • Delorian Time Machine
    Bring it back.
    This was a mistake cancelling the show. Not only was it well done, but interesting and thorough as well. It would’ve been worth a subscription to USA TODAY if they kept it going
  • amber 808
    Vocal Fry
    Good story & content but....Every sentence ends with vocaaalll fryyyyy
  • jsalmos
    Great binge show
    Loved the city! So disappointed it's cancelled. Great reporting!
  • APNJ323
    Cancel some other show!!!
    I have no idea why this show would be canceled. This kind of journalism is interesting and necessary. Maybe if it wasn’t well subscribed, you should look at your marketing plan more than anything else...hope it makes a comeback, I’d give up a lot of podcasts to keep this one!
  • bkam76
    So Disappointed
    The City was such a great show- so so disappointed!!
  • epcann67
    Sad
    Such a great show!!
  • Chadd J
    Gone too soon.
    USA Today was already a shrinking newspaper brand in print, mostly relegated to the recycling bins of hotel rooms... The City was a spellbinding saga of investigative journalism that proved that amazing quality can emerge from storied media powerhouse in need of a little reinvigoration. Therefore, it would seem almost unconscionable that they would end production of a digital media success that almost certainly elevated the platform of “USA Today” in the minds of millennial listeners like myself. Cultivating these real-life stories of governmental malfeasance was audible gold. While I suspect the production staff and host of “The City” have not been promoted, they certainly deserve to be. Few podcasts offer this kind of painstakingly tedious levels of research and reporting. Ending production of “The City” is yet another example of how the years long struggles of print media has eviscerated once robust investigative journalism in America. To “The City” staff I can only say, good luck out there, you all deserve it.
  • Pennyhungry
    Hope it comes back
    I enjoyed this one...miss it
  • meganhey93
    Bring Back the City!!
    Such an amazing podcast, can’t believe it’s cancelled.
  • Spiffandbiff
    Will Miss
    This was a well researched and reported show and I’m sad to hear that it’s ended, for now at least. I hope that when things pick back up the show will return.
  • Cheers2beers
    Gonna miss this one.
    Really bummed to hear that shows getting discontinued. I stumbled onto this podcast through another one by Wondery and it’s easily been one of my favorites. Hope you guys are able to come back!
  • brbudner
    excellent
    thorough investigative journalism and riveting story telling ! thank you for delving into specific stories whose themes and threads run through so many cities.
  • SusaQ7
    Interesting subjects and narration
    Love this podcast: subject are deep and investigatory but another detail that a lot of podcasts miss and that is the style of narration : this podcast has nailed that down to perfection ! The narration is key to the story , it’s exactly on topic with accountability for the listener . Can’t wait for the next season . Good job !
  • CNYHistorian
    Yellow journalism is back.
    This team believes that prosecuting cases with no evidence is the thing to do. I will never understand why somebody thinks that one person’s word is more available than others in a strictly hearsay case. I’m done with the series. If they come back with a season three count me out.
  • podcastlistener4453
    didn’t love it
    Just didn’t connect with the show!
  • K_in_Havertown
    Wonderfully in-depth
    So far we’ve had two insightful stories, can’t wait for the next season!
  • papabev
    Keeping it classy
    Bathroom sex doesn’t make sense to sober people but having witnessed people having sex on the fountain out side my job drunk people sometimes just go at it
  • akhayata95
    Unbelievably insightful
    One to definitely listen to...
  • J. Annabelle
    Excellent
    Thanks for great reporting but also sharing the sides of the ladies. Hearing their voices made their lives come a live.
  • Clandestino111
    Amazing show but...
    How can i listen to season 1?
  • Bradc89
    Liberal media
    Liberal media trying to divide our country even more. Season 1 at least
  • BootersPop
    Lost me with the bonus episode
    In the season portraying Reno’s battle with strip club I felt like the pod was an unbiased portrayal of the story. With the bonus episode, it felt like y’all were going out of your way to attack the Keshmiri brothers. I’ve never been a big fan of them, granted I’ve only met them a couple times, but that last episode was VERY unfair.
  • broadcastin
    Season 2 was bomb!
    Such a great podcast. As a native Nevadan born and raised in Reno, it’s an accurate portrayal. Great reporting and journalism. Very intriguing and you just want to binge listen!
  • DrMPP
    Ha! Buffalo makes Reno & Chicago look small.
    Check out Buffalo, NY! Mysterious deaths, convictions, machine politics, newspapers withholding investigated truths in the midst of the state-funded "Buffalo Billion" development/gentrification push. Western New York is home to multiple mafia families, but who needs mafia when "good ol' boys" are still a protected class there? Corruption was INVENTED in New York, and WNY has miles upon miles (from Lake Erie, through the Niagara River, to Lake Ontario) of waterfront property ripe for theft. Those who don't want the law in the way of high dollar deals silence any discussion of how unethical it is to price people out of their hometowns as they're also left without a job. Meanwhile, a small number of LLC (thereby anonymous) investors, many coming out of the NYC boroughs with millions in pocket change, shred the city's rich identity.
  • Groupworker
    Outstanding podcast on Reno
    Informative and well produced
  • brndnnn
    Season 2
    I’ve lived as a background character in this story. In 2016 I had an apartment in Midtown right down the street from the Wild Orchid. In 2018 I bought a very small condo in one of the renovated old casino buildings downtown, because I couldn’t get into a house anywhere in or around Reno due to stiff competition and cash investors. I’ve worked in a warehouse right down the street from where the Gigafactory is located for ten years, and have witnessed first hand it’s rapid construction to how it has changed the entire city. I may have even been a patron at the Spice House on my 21st birthday. This podcast paints an accurate and honest portrayal of my hometown and a historic moment it is currently going through.
  • Yvonne in Chicago
    Great podcast
    I’ve lived in Chicago my entire life and never heard about this before. I love Chicago and have loved living here but this embarrasses me and hugely disappoints me
  • JengaFromTheRock
    Season 1 only
    What an excellent Season 1 podcast. Season 2... pure rubbish. Reported in such a biased manner, makes one wonder why the reporter is so blatantly trying to sway the listener?
  • Meggo18
    Solid and entertaining journalism
    Well-researched and extremely interesting podcast dealing with so many issues in a thoughtful way. Highly recommend!
  • CreativityGirl
    Enjoyed Season 1, but...
    Season 2 was so obviously biased, it’s almost as though she’s being paid by the strip club owner.
  • Ryan11111111111111111111111111
    Season 2 is Performative Middle Class White Guilt
    The journalist in season 2 in Reno is so clearly biased in favor of the strip club, insinuating repeatedly that merely moving the strip clubs five miles out of the downtown area would cause 175 dancers lose their jobs. Imagine how different her take would be if she bought a home a a strip club was constructed on the adjacent properties. This benighted woman is trying to expiate her white guilt over gentrification by making strip club owners and dancers marginalized heroes
  • KHASL
    Lopsided coverage
    Why give so much favorable coverage to an antagonistic bully who condones illegal and unsafe working conditions at his clubs (rape, coercing intoxicated women into prostitution) and illegal, decrepit living conditions at his sad motels?! (Look up photos of the Ponderosa motel; it’s utterly horrific. Can’t be legal.) He is defensive and always frames himself as the victim, but it’s clear the victims are his employees and tenants. This story would have been great if it spanned 2 or 3 episodes. I don’t have the patience to listen in the hopes that its coverage will ultimately be more balanced. Would have loved more of the coverage to get into the stories of the most vulnerable. I don’t want to see folks losing their jobs or homes, but does that mean we give a pass to their horrible conditions? Nah.
  • turnermk
    Wonderful podcast
    Wonderfully well written and researched show with high production value. It also deals with complex themes like systemic racism and gentrification. I highly recommend.
  • Constanza from NY
    Fantastic
    Look forward to next season
  • TimotheeTeeAZ
    So enjoyable So captivating!
    Absolutely love this podcast. Perhaps I’m a cheater but I never listened to Season 1 of the podcast I just jumped right into Season 2 but I’m living it! It’s highly captivating and so enjoyable! Five Stars all day! *****
  • ray1/23:4;5(6$7$8
    Love it.
    A must subscribe
  • G.M. Smith
    Reno cares about worker safety?
    You mean the town that subjects casino workers (including pregnant cocktail waitresses) to second hand smoke cares about worker safety?
  • ABDUL, UTAH
    The best podcast 📻
    Waiting for the next season.
  • Lizzie Flower
    Loving and Living in Reno
    I live in Reno, downtown and blocks from the clubs. I love this town as it is, the clubs don’t offend. I often wonder why the city council would focus on businesses who follow rules, keep their property clean and pay taxes while there are homeless people defecating in our beloved Truckee River and throwing their trash and belongings into the water. Reno is a beautiful town and even though I’ve only lived here a couple of years (transplanted from Nebraska) I love this place! Great reporting!
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