There's Just Something About Kansas City

Dr. Kirk McCullough is a Kansas City Orthopaedic Surgeon who’s been named FIFA Venue Medical Officer for the 2026 World Cup. After suffering several knee injuries during his high school and college careers, his life’s path was set to help injured athletes recover and return to their sport. But Dr. McCullough didn’t stop there. He collaborated with other orthopedic experts and bio...

Pam Kramer is the CEO of KC2026, the nonprofit established to lead the planning and activation of the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Kansas City. She’s also a Jeff City native who spent years mingling the worlds of sports and business at Sprint, the Kansas City Chiefs, KC Current, and the Kansas City Sports Commission. Now, Pam is at the forefront of preparations for soccer fans from all over t...

Denny Matthews has been the voice of the Kansas City Royals from their very first game in 1969, and has now broadcast exclusively for the Royals for nearly 50 years.  From sending his resume and tape to the Royals on a Schlitz tray to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, Denny and I reminisce about his storied career. Denny talks growing up in Illinois listening to iconic broadcasters — like...

Joe Arce is a longtime Kansas City photojournalist and the founder of Kansas City Hispanic News.   Frank met Joe in 1981 when we worked together at WDAF-TV. Joe was the original “one man band” of photojournalism; shooting, interviewing and editing stories all by himself. He found a niche reporting on the Hispanic community in the KC metro. Joe knew there was a void in the local La...

You cannot talk about the history of Kansas City Jazz without the name McFadden being mentioned, from the early days with “Smilin’ Jimmy McFadden and the Chocolate Drops with Count Basie at the original Reno Club, to Lonnie and Ronald, “The McFadden Brothers”, at Lonnie’s Reno Club downstairs at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown KC.  Lonnie takes us back to the &l...

Heidi Gardner is an actress, writer, and comedian who's starred on Saturday Night Live since 2017. From Westport, to LA, to NYC, from the Tivoli, to the Groundlings, to 30 Rock, Heidi has done everything from popping popcorn, to cutting hair, to becoming the longest-tenured current female cast member on SNL. Even though Heidi had doubts on the way up, there was always someone there to give her the...

It's a very Merry Mitchmas! From Smith Center, Kansas to the Chief’s Kingdom to the 2024 Kansan of the Year, Mitch Holthus gives us an inside look at his career and what it means to him to be the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs.  You’ll also hear about his family’s deep connection to the Western ballad, “Home on the Range.” It’s quite a story. Join Mitch as...

Crosby Kemper III has served as the director of the KC Public Library and the director of the National Institute of Museum and Library Services with both the Trump and Biden administrations. Today, he’s on a mission to make sure children from all segments of our society are given the opportunity to learn to read. From the 1880’s through today, seven generations of the Kempers have been...

Allan Swan is the President of Panasonic North America. In today’s episode, the Scotland native tells us how the tiny, unassuming De Soto, Kansas beat out over 100 other sites in 13 states to build Panasonic’s newest lithium battery plant. The $4 billion investment by Panasonic is the largest economic development project in Kansas history and it will employ up to 8,000 workers at all s...

Lindsey Patterson-Smith is Vice Chair of the American Royal. In today’s episode, she takes us on a ride through the 125 year old history of the American Royal and its future as one of Kansas City’s most iconic year-long celebrations.  Lindsey also shares the impact her family has had on the KC area, from her father Neal’s co-founding of Cerner to the Patterson Family Foundation’s continued impact...

Paul Kempinski is the CEO of Children’s Mercy Kansas City. In today’s episode, Paul takes us through the hospital’s incredible history, from its founding in 1897 by two sisters with a focus on research and philanthropy to the legacy he leaves behind as he prepares for retirement.  Paul’s tenure adds to the already incredible reputation of Children’s Mercy Hospital, one of the top children’s hospit...

Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Stowers Institute. World renowned for his groundbreaking work in regenerative biology, Dr. Sanchez Alvarado is the leader in exploring the mysteries of life and the potential for organisms to regenerate damaged tissues.  He’ll be the first to tell you none of his work, or that of his scientists and researchers would be...

Matt Linski was born in Pennsylvania, migrated to Sedalia, Missouri and with inspiration from his father, set a path that saw him rise to president of Bank of America in this region. Matt’s work in the community goes well beyond the office, from Big Brothers Big Sisters, to a scholarship at Missouri State in honor of his late father, and countless local philanthropic causes through Bank of America...

Madisen Ward is a Kansas City musician and songwriter. Hailing from Independence, Madisen was raised with a feeling that anything was possible, watching his mother Ruth playing shows at coffee shops and his uncle, actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., on the big screen. Madisen started writing in high school, and after taking the stage with his mother a few times and writing some originals, the two formed “Ma...

A family-owned company lasting five generations is almost unheard of. But here in Kansas City, U.S. Engineering has defied the odds. Tyler Nottberg, the company’s CEO, tells the story of U.S. Engineering’s founding by Gustav Nottberg in 1893, its twists and turns through World Wars, and how the company has helped to shape the Kansas City we know today. Tyler takes us through their colorful family...

Pasquale Trozzolo is the founder of Kansas City’s Trozzolo Communications — and so, so much more. The entrepreneur turned champion racecar driver turned published poet & budding chef might just have the Dos Equis guy beat for “most interesting man in the world.” Pasquale is the Chicago-born son of Italian immigrants who found his “coming of age” adventures in Kansas City, from working as a pol...

Claudia Meyer is the first female Latina president of Cristo Rey Kansas City.  At the age of fifteen, Claudia moved from her native Brazil to the United States and found herself in a new country, with a new culture, and a new lifestyle knowing just one word in the English language: NO!  But she didn't let that stop her. She quickly learned to say YES to take complete advantage of the opportunities...

Heidi Gardner is an actress, writer, and comedian who's starred on Saturday Night Live since 2017. From Westport, to LA, to NYC, from the Tivoli, to the Groundlings, to 30 Rock, Heidi has done everything from popping popcorn, to cutting hair, to becoming the longest-tenured current female cast member on SNL. Even though Heidi had doubts on the way up, there was always someone there to give her the...

Kansas City Royals Owner John Sherman was born on opening day for the Kansas City Athletics. His first date with Marny, his wife of 40 years, was a Royals game. But while it may seem that his leadership of the boys in blue was fated, in truth, it’s been an incredible and improbable journey. John was born in Japan while his father served in the Air Force. The family of nine followed his father’s as...

Chase McAnulty is the founder & CEO of Charlie Hustle, Kansas City’s signature “vintage made fresh” clothing brand and home of the now-iconic KC heart. Shortly after graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute and getting a "real job" he didn’t particularly like, the entrepreneurial-minded Chase moved back into his parents basement and emerged as “Charlie Hustle.” No, not that Charlie Hustle...

Petra Kralickova has been serving as the Executive Director of The National Museum of Toys & Miniatures since 2017. From growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia, to watching the world “fill with color” during its fall, Petra shares her story of following her passion for art to the US and finding her way to Kansas City, the city she and her family now lovingly call home.  Petra also takes us bac...

Mike Mahoney and Dave Helling have a combined 104 years of experience in both local and national political coverage here in Kansas City. For about a third of our city's existence, these two have been “chasing mayors and council members around with microphones and notepads." We’ll never see local politics covered like this again. Hear the behind-the-scenes stories of some of the biggest political e...

Bill Zollars is a Kansas City transplant hailing from Minnesota. The now-retired CEO of Yellow Roadway Corp (YRC) came to KC with his wife and three kids in the 90’s and “immediately felt at home.”   Now leading Kansas City’s first CEO Academy at UMKC’s Bloch School this fall, Bill is passionate about cultivating a supportive community of leaders like the network he relied upon during his tenure....

In the third grade, Bryan Busby knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: a meteorologist. But that dream turned out to be easier said than done. Bryan takes us on his life’s journey of overcoming every obstacle put in front of him to become one of the first black TV meteorologists in the country and now one of the most respected nationwide. Despite bigger markets trying to lure him away,...

During an internship and short stint at WDAF-TV, Justin Gardner, a University of Missouri Journalism School grad, found out editing the evening news content wasn’t the life for him. I’m sure all the shouting, cursing and swearing coming from the sports department didn’t help. (I’m guilty as charged.) So Justin used his skills to create commercials and enhance brands for several media companies lik...