Crain's Chicago Business
500 episodes listed below
Chicago business news, made usable fast.
Crain's Daily Gist tracks the Chicago stories that affect companies, neighborhoods, institutions, and public money. Its format is direct: a news peg, a reporter conversation, and a practical account of what changed and what remains uncertain.
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Crain's Daily Gist is a compact Chicago business news show built around reported conversations rather than punditry. Each episode tends to begin with a specific local development. Then it asks what happened, who is affected, and what the numbers actually mean. The range is broad but recognizably Chicago: O'Hare, West Suburban Hospital, downtown office buildings, the Magnificent Mile, Oak Park, the United Center, restaurants, power costs, lawsuits, and City Hall staffing. The show is especially strong when a single headline needs process. A floated United and American merger idea becomes a discussion of hub overlap, earnings-call questions, JetBlue speculation, and the wider pressures pushing airline consolidation. A hospital closure becomes a story about ownership, safety-net services, financial distress plans, and possible legislative response. A real estate sale becomes a look at apartment shortages, Class A rents, conversion timing, and whether downtown buildings can find new uses. The conversations are brisk. They are also careful. Reporters often signal what is known, what is still being checked, and what future call, filing, sale, or hearing may clarify. That gives the show a practical newsroom texture. It does not need drama to make the stakes clear. The details do the work. Listeners hear how a candy attraction can matter for the Magnificent Mile, how data centers can affect electricity bills, and how a restaurant lease can say something about the West Loop. The show also has a serviceable rhythm: headline setup, reporter interview, concise context, and a return to where the story is likely to move next. It is for people who follow Chicago through business decisions as much as through politics. The emphasis is local, but the forces are bigger than local: consolidation, private equity, energy demand, housing supply, health care oversight, tourism, and commercial real estate pressure. Crain's Daily Gist makes those forces feel close to the ground.
Made for: For listeners who follow Chicago through business, real estate, health care, politics, restaurants, transportation, and public money. It fits people who want reported context without a long panel discussion.
What sets it apart: The show turns local business headlines into focused reporter conversations that preserve the numbers, caveats, and process behind the news. It is less about opinion and more about what changed, why it matters, and what to watch next.
Get a head start on your workday with the stories that matter most. Listen to our roundup of essential Chicago headlines and analysis from Crain’s reporters and host Amy Guth.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · August 2026
Crain's Daily Gist turns Chicago business headlines into a clear guide to local power, property, courts, and public money.
Crain's Daily Gist is a News & Politics pick with a Chicago business spine. It tracks property taxes, real estate pressure, public transit funding, grid investment, courts, congressional clout, and the city politics wrapped around those fights.
You like your Chicago headlines with zoning fights, assessor drama, and a raised eyebrow.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Elevated rates are still lowering what investors will pay for large apartment buildings.
Rachel Herzog lays out a simple pressure point: elevated interest rates are still squeezing what investors will pay for large apartment buildings. That is the strongest thread here, and it works best when the focus stays on deal math rather than broader sweep.
A focused housing-market update built around Ken Griffin's last Chicago condo.
Crain's Daily Gist opens on Ken Griffin's last Chicago condo, which had been under contract in December before the deal fell through and the listing returned to market.
A clear look at how Illinois loses clout when senior lawmakers step aside.
Crain's Daily Gist keeps its focus on a plain but consequential question: what happens when Illinois loses seniority in Washington. Senator Dick Durbin's retirement, along with the wider wave of departures in the state's congressional delegation, gives the episode a clean…
A clear look at how Chicago politics is shaping commercial real estate.
Chicago commercial real estate is treated here as a story shaped by politics as much as by property. The assessor race, investor reaction, and the new downtown hotel surcharge are tied together in a way that gives the discussion real momentum, while the upcoming mayoral contest…
A strange Chicago listing becomes a plainspoken look at how real estate actually works.
A Chicago housing story with an odd hook drives this episode. A Frank Lloyd Wright house may have been listed for sale, or may not have been for sale at all.
A daily five-minute anchor-read roundup of Fox Cities crime, schools, and local government news.
Fargo morning-drive radio with Bo and Megan, NDSU Bison football previews, and listener call-in games.
Crain's Daily Gist opens with Amy Guth and reporter John Pletz on United CEO Scott Kirby's reported idea of merging with American Airlines after a White House meeting with President Trump.
This episode discusses the latest developments regarding West Suburban Hospital's surprise closure and potential reopening, along with related healthcare legislation and news.
This episode discusses the growing trend of converting downtown office buildings into residential apartments, featuring insights from a commercial real estate reporter on market conditions and future projections.
This episode discusses Governor Pritzker and other governors pushing the local power grid operator to make data centers cover their electricity costs to protect consumers from rising prices.
This episode discusses the Candy Hall of Fame leasing 60,000 square feet on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, marking the biggest lease there since 2015, with insights from a Crain's reporter on the commercial real estate implications.
A daily news roundup covering Chicago headlines, including a tax break for the United Center project and local housing market updates.
A daily news podcast covering Chicago headlines, including a potential crackdown on sanctuary city airports and local restaurant openings.
A daily roundup of essential Chicago news, covering a court ruling on biometric privacy, hospital oversight issues, and Walgreens' profit plans.
This episode discusses Mayor Johnson's efforts to replace the acting CHA leader and the Park District's $630 million museum campus overhaul, including implications for the Bears Stadium.
A daily roundup of essential Chicago headlines and analysis from Crain's reporters, covering business, real estate, and local news.
A daily roundup of essential Chicago headlines and analysis from Crain's reporters, covering topics like government employment and AI data center concerns.
Cook County property taxes keep climbing.
Apartment sellers are running into a tougher market.
Ken Griffin's last Chicago condo pulls the housing segment back onto familiar ground after a deal falls through and the unit returns to market.
Illinois faces a seniority reset in D.C.
Amy Guth and Danny Ecker open with the fallout from Illinois primary night.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including the loop's uneven recovery and restaurant scene.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including the FAA targeting O'Hare's flight growth and the city's credit downgrade amid political blame.
A daily news podcast covering Chicago headlines, including Bears tax talks and local housing market trends.
A daily roundup of essential Chicago business headlines, including Uber's acquisition of Spot Hero and analysis of CEOs from Kraft Heinz and Ulta.
A daily business news podcast covering Chicago commercial real estate, including a deal for a former senior housing building in Lakeview.
A daily news podcast covering top Chicago stories, including Walgreens job cuts and the latest on the Chicago Bears stadium saga.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including housing affordability trends and electric vehicle policy.
Chicago plans to sell $1 billion in debt from unpaid fees amid buyer uncertainty, and federal funding cuts threaten affordable housing.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines and business analysis, including a segment on local housing market news.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including a political ad for Tom Steyer and business news about airlines and the Illinois economy.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including a Fulton Market high-rise proposal and American Airlines union vote.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including political analysis and local business trends.
A daily news podcast covering essential Chicago headlines, including a plan for a 28-story apartment tower in Lincoln Park and analysis of Chicago's top home sales of 2025.
A daily news roundup covering essential Chicago headlines, including Governor Pritzker's stance on pensions and the mayor's directive for CPD to investigate federal agents.
A daily roundup of essential Chicago headlines and business news from Crain's reporters.
This episode discusses the escalating competition between United Airlines and American Airlines at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, featuring an interview with Crain's reporter John Pletz about the business implications.
This episode discusses seven new Chicago restaurants, including unique concepts like Mexican bagels and an Italian steakhouse, with a focus on Akiro, a hand-roll bar featuring Nikkei cuisine.
This episode discusses Chicago's consideration of selling sponsorships at its airports, exploring potential corporate partnerships and marketing opportunities.
Amy Guth and Dennis Rodkin discuss a disputed Frank Lloyd Wright house listing in Austin that appeared on Zillow and Trulia at $350,000, then was said by Fannie Mae not to be for sale.