Don't believe the national narrative that Ohio isn't a key state in the 2020 presidential election, state Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper told That's So Cincinnati podcast this week. Ohio Democrats are performing the role of "left tackle" and "firewall" for key swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, Pepper said. What does that mean? Democrats want to "protect" those states by making Trump spend money and time in Ohio, a strategy they hope will divert the president's resou...
Sep 04, 2019•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 52
From Italy to Loveland, the Rozzi family has been lighting of the night on holidays and special occasions across Greater Cincinnati and the world for more than 120 years. Cincinnati's first family of fireworks joins That's So Cincinnati podcast to talk about the four-generation family company ahead of the 43rd annual Western & Southern/WEBN Labory Day fireworks. Company president Nancy Rozzi and her brother and vice president, Joe Rozzi, discuss art of pyrotechnics; Rozzi Firworks' internati...
Aug 28, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Ryan Messer, vice president of the Cincinnati Public Schools board, joins That's So Cincinnati this week to discuss: His role in saving the streetcar in 2013 as Over-the-Rhine Community Council president Key issues facing Ohio's third-largest school system Transforming an old Xavier University dorm into a home Also this week, TSC hosts Sharon Coolidge and Jason Williams breakdown the politics and issues surrounding efforts to build a new convention hotel....
Aug 21, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 50
It's been a crazy run of news lately, and That's So Cincinnati wanted to take a break from all that this week and have a little fun before summer winds down. TSC hit the road for this week's episode, recording live from Braxton Brewing in Covington. CEO Jake Rouse joined us for a conversation from the beautiful new rooftop bar. Among the topics Rouse talked about: Braxton being the first local brewery to go all-in on the hard seltzer craze and the challenges of launching VIVE The difficult of na...
Aug 14, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Marty Brennaman calls 'em like sees 'em on this week's That's So Cincinnati. Would you expect otherwise? The Hall of Fame broadcaster talks about the history of his brutally honest style and whether he could get hired if he were just starting his career. He also gives his take on Cubs and Cardinals fans, his family, Donald Trump, FC Cincinnati and much more. The entire episode is dedicated to Brennaman, who is retiring next month after 46 years of calling Reds games. You don't want to miss it....
Aug 06, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Cincinnati's streets have been taken over by e-bikes. What the heck is an e-bike? Red Bike executive director Jason Barron stops by That's So Cincinnati to talk about five years of sharing bikes across Downtown Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. Plus, TSC co-hosts Sharon Coolidge and Jason Williams break down the latest on The Banks concert venue and the lack of a big-picture plan for Cincinnati's front porch. And last week's Neil Armstrong news shows that you never know what's going to show up ...
Jul 31, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Joe Deters sits down with That's So Cincinnati for a candid in-depth interview that you don't want to miss. Here's a sampling of what the Hamilton County prosecutor said on this week's episode: On Tracie Hunter: "Tracie has been a Dumpster fire from the start." On asking Gov. Mike DeWine to send in the National Guard to try to curb violence in Cincinnati: "When you can't have your little kid go out in your yard and play out of fear of a stray gunshot, that is bull---t." On how his role in the Tr...
Jul 24, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac joins the That’s So Cincinnati podcast this week where he talks about curbing the increase in violence and his plans for the future. With special guest host Enquirer Editor Beryl Love, maybe we should have called this That’s So Forest Park. They graduated from Forest Park High School together and walked down memory lane. Plus, Christian Moerlein just launched Goetta beer. Beryl tried it and tells you what he thought.
Jul 17, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Gwen McFarlin grew up on a tobacco farm in Clermont County. How did that experience prepare her for a career in politics? The Hamilton County Democratic Party chairwoman joins That's So Cincinnati for an insightful chat about her rise to the position; working across aisle; managing the divide in her party; and those hot summer days stripping tobacco. Plus, TSC co-hosts Sharon Coolidge and Jason Williams discuss absentee Cincinnati City Council members; waiting in painfully long lines at the BMV;...
Jul 10, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 44
It's more politics + fun stuff this week on That's So Cincinnati. Kentucky Speedway spokeswoman Ashley Brennaman Shirley joins us to talk about the NASCAR track celebrating its 20th racing season with next week's Quaker State 400. She explains the excitement surrounding race weekend; appealing to millennials; and pickup truck hot tubs. And if the name Brennaman sounds familiar, yes, Ashley is youngest of Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman's three children. Ashley shows us another side of t...
Jul 03, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 43
That's So Cincinnati continues on its summer tour of iconic local brands. Next stop: Frisch's Big Boy Vice President Todd Napier joins the podcast to discuss: The new 'Bad Boy' burger Where Frisch's is planning to expand The brilliant decision to bring back Coca Cola And the restaurant's new deal with FC Cincinnati Cincinnati.com Statehouse reporter Jessie Balmert also joins TSC to simplify that complex energy thing you keep hearing about in radio and TV ads. She also gives us the lowdown on new...
Jun 26, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Talking ice cream and food is a lot of fun, but this week it's back to what That's So Cincinnati does best: Politics. Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou joins the podcast to talk about: The Trump 'juggling act' in a blue-trending county Targeting suburban women voters in 2020 Joe Deters' $500,000 statement And will Steve Chabot have a primary opponent? Plus, Enquirer Pulitzer Prize winner Dan Horn stops by to chat about "The Road" poverty project. And of course, hosts Sharon Coolidge...
Jun 19, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Louis and Regina Graeter started making vanilla ice cream in a metal bucket on the streets of Cincinnati after the Civil War. Today, four generations later, Graeter's is churning out 1.3 million gallons of ice cream a year; selling pints in 6,000 grocery stores nationwide and 55 scoops shops across nine states. If Graeter's isn't So Cincinnati, then what is? In a rare interview, Graeter's President and CEO Rich Graeter joined That's So Cincinnati to talk about: His generation's contribution to t...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Steve Leeper came to Cincinnati in 2003 to lead 3CDC, a development agency then focused on Over-the-Rhine’s troubles. A walk through that neighborhood shows success there and now the agency has turned its sights on downtown. In a rare, wide-ranging, candid interview, Leeper joins That’s So Cincinnati to discuss: Whether the streetcar played a role in OTR development. What’s coming to the former Downtown Macy’s. The new hotel convention center. FC Cincinnati’s investment in the West End and why t...
Jun 05, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Steve Driehaus and his well-known Cincinnati political family were Democrats long before it was cool in Hamilton County. The former congressman joins That's So Cincinnati to discuss: The county's seismic political shift Teaching democracy and parliamentary procedure in the Middle East Coming home from Africa to start a political consulting firm Talking politics in the Driehaus household TSC cohosts Sharon Coolidge and Jason Williams breakdown yet another FC Cincinnati stadium fight. Yes, another...
May 29, 2019•55 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau Vice President Jason Dunn has been a man on a mission ever since the 2001 civil unrest. He's helped Cincinnati to overcome a negative perception across the nation and land top minority-group conventions such as the NAACP and Urban League. Dunn joins That's So Cincinnati podcast to talk about his experience overseeing the CVB's diversity and inclusion initiatives. Dunn, board chairman of the Cincinnati African-American Chamber of Commerce, also offe...
May 22, 2019•50 min•Season 1Ep. 37
One of Greater Cincinnati's top leaders in events and entertainment is questioning whether a music venue at The Banks can be successful. Bunbury Music Festival Bill Donabedian joined That's So Cincinnati podcast this week to offer his insight on the proposed dueling music venues on both sides of the Ohio River. Donabedian, former Fountain Square events director 3CDC, sold a majority stake in Bunbury to Columbus-based PromoWest in 2014. In conjuction with Los Angeles-based AEG, PromoWest announce...
May 15, 2019•51 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Scott "Scoop" Wartman, Cincinnati.com 's regional politics and Hamilton County reporter, joins That's So Cincinnati to talk all-things gerrymandering. He also offers insights on Trump's Ohio, the 2020 sheriff's primary and the long-vacant Ovations riverfront property in Newport. As always, we have a little fun with our guest. So we asked Scott: What's up with naming his cat Sister Betty Lou? The answer is So Cincinnati. In the opening segment, TSC hosts Jason Williams and Paul Dehner Jr. discuss...
May 08, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 35
It's a special bonus edition of That's So Cincinnati as hosts Paul Dehner Jr. and Jason Williams hit the road for one of Cincinnati's staple annual events. From Smale Riverfront Park during Flying Pig Marathon weekend, the TSC crew sets up in the middle of the Fifty West Mile run party and asks runners: What's the most Cincinnati thing they can imagine? How about grandma's homemade goetta? Plus, Flying Pig course director John Cappella stops by to talk about race weekend's insane logistics and p...
May 04, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 34
That's So Cincinnati listeners know '80s pop music has been a big topic on the podcast -- and we take it to a whole other level this week. '80s teen sensation Tiffany invites TSC onto her tour bus for a candid behind-the-scenes chat before kicking off her 53-city Mixtape Tour with New Kids on the Block at U.S. Bank Arena on Thursday night. Tiffany talks about her meteoric rise to pop megastar in 1987; trying to move on from still being seen as that 15-year-old mall girl; why she posed for Playbo...
May 01, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Cincinnati Democrat Alicia Reece joins That's So Cincinnati to discuss her 20 years in politics. Reece, a former Cincinnati vice mayor and state lawmaker, recalls the challenges of being on City Council in the wake of the 2001 civil unrest and the role she played in helping Cincinnati bounce back. The Roselawn resident also talks about working with former Gov. John Kasich; offers her take on the current City Council; and discusses what her next step in politics might be. Will Reece run for mayor...
Apr 24, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Enquirer corporate watchdog reporter Alexander Coolidge stops by to talk about Kroger holding its ground in the grocery wars ; the possibility of robots delivering groceries someday and the new Downtown store. Also, TSC cohosts Jason Williams and Paul Dehner Jr. discuss whether the new streetcar czar can save the project. Busken's creepy Easter bunny is the focal point of the That's So Cincinnati Moment of the Week. And TSC is going on the road for a live podcast during Flying Pig weekend....
Apr 17, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Conservative attorney Chris Finney joins That's So Cincinnati to talk about his rabble-rousing reputation and offer insight on why he's waged war on local progressives. Finney talks about the early days of COAST, the citizen-led anti-tax group he helped found 20 years ago. He answers questions about why he pursues open-government litigation against certain politicians while leaving others alone. And believe it or not, Finney grew up in a liberal household in Kennedy Heights. He talks about break...
Apr 10, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Enquirer reporters Carol Motsinger and Dan Horn join That's So Cincinnati to talk about Cincinnati.com 's four-part series on the long hard road poverty project. They go behind the scenes of their exhaustive reporting process to tell real people's stories from Middletown to Cincinnati to Falmouth, Kentucky. Also this week, a local lawmaker gets arrested, the landslide solution and two very memorable That's So Cincinnati moments of the week....
Apr 03, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Reds executive Karen Forgus joins That's So Cincinnati to talk about her journey from working outside of sports to creating one of the strongest brands in Major League Baseball. Karen is a big reason why the Reds are so fan-friendly, and she talks about adopting customer-service best practices from Disney. She also discusses sharing the market with FC Cincinnati, and whether that presents any challenges for the Reds. The Cincinnati native gives us a preview of new promotions and ballpark feature...
Mar 27, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Congressman Brad Wenstrup often flies under the radar because he's not loud and braggadocios. But the Cincinnati Republican is anything but boring. Wenstrup joined That's So Cincinnati podcast to talk mostly about his life away from Capitol Hill. This episode offers a glimpse of the human side of the podiatrist-turned-politician. Wenstrup shares stories about: -- How a dying AIDS patient in the mid-1980s helped shape his view on serving others -- Adopting a little girl last year and being the fa...
Mar 20, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Enquirer City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge returns as a special guest to breakdown everything you need to know about "textgate." Paul Dehner Jr., Jason Williams and Sherry dive into the winners, losers, political fallout and the most uncomfortable moments in the trove of 25,000 text messages. Plus, our That's So Cincinnati Moment of the Week on perhaps too much love for the Norwood Lateral. And Jason doesn't trust the beer bracket process.
Mar 13, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 26
FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding joins That’s So Cincinnati to talk about fan engagement, “fighting” for Cincinnati and his involvement in politics and business. Will the former Cincinnati City Councilman ever return to politics? Berding, regarded as one of the region’s top political strategitss, answers that question. Plus, he gives us his take on the current state of City Hall and breaks some fan-friendly news about FC Cincinnati. Enquirer City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge also stops by t...
Mar 06, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Bockfest organizer Aaron Sharpe joins That's So Cincinnati this week to talk about a soooooooooo Cincinnati event. From the goats to the Sausage Queen contest, Sharpe tells us all about the annual Over-the-Rhine bock beer celebration. Sharpe also offers his unique perspective on Cincinnati. The former WNKU personality now owns Lucius Q barbecue restaurant in the up-and-coming Pendleton neighborhood. He also is the long-time disc jockey at Great American Ball Park, and shares some fun stories abo...
Feb 27, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 24
National Geographic producer Jon Schroder joins us to talk about the documentary he's filming on the Covington Catholic incident. The 1992 CovCath graduate discusses what the project will address and what it means to him. Plus, Schroder talks about going from moving props and furniture in a Los Angeles warehouse to creating and producing the No. 1 show on Nat Geo Wild. We also discuss Enquirer reporter Sharon Coolidge's watchdog story City Council attendance; answer a reader email about US Bank ...
Feb 20, 2019•52 min•Season 1Ep. 23
