Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)
From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course. Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Episodes
Mon 2/9
– Sasha Abramsky, freelance journalist and author; his new book is “American Carnage: How Trump, Musk and DOGE Butchered the U.S. Government”
– Amanda Marcotte, senior writer at Salon.com
– WCPT’s Patti Vasquez and Richard Chew
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's show William Muck guest-hosted the 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. hours for Joan. His guests were:
– Richard Chew
– Patti Vasquez
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University
– Suzanne Chod, professor of political science at North Central College
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (he...
North Central College Political Science Professor William Muck hosts WCPT and Heartland Signal's Pre- and Post-U.S. Senate Candidate Forum Coverage with special guest co-host Jill Wine-Banks.
Their guests are:
– Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
– U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
– WCPT's Richard Chew, host of "Chew's Vie...
Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate candidates U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton face off in WCPT's Senate Candidate Forum.
Moderated by WCPT hosts Joan Esposito, Patti Vasquez, and Richard Chew, the forum covered a wide range of issues — giving voters a direct look at where these candidates stand.
We thank our sponsors:
Plumbers Local 130. "The Plumber protects the health of the n...
On today's show:
– Laura Rodriguez, senior vice president of government affairs at the Center for American Progress Action Fund
– Jane Kirtley, professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota and former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
– U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL)
– Laura Jedeed, investigative and features journalist wh...
On today's show:
– Tamar Jacoby, contributor to Washington Monthly and the Kyiv-based director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s New Ukraine Project and the author of “Displaced: The Ukrainian Refugee Experience.” Her latest article for Washington Monthly is “Putin’s Energy Blitzkrieg is Backfiring.”
– Chris Bury, senior journalist-in-residence,...
On today's show:
– Chris Armitage, author of The Existentialist Republic newsletter on Substack
– U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
– Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois and member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 2nd District
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (hear...
On today's show:
– Camaron Stevenson, national correspondent in Washington, D.C. for Courier
– Pete Dominick, news commentator, stand-up comic, and host of the “Stand Up! with Pete Dominick” podcast
– Mark Wolf, former U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts; in November 2025 Judge Wolf resigned and wrote an op-ed for The Atlantic en...
On today's show:
– Greg Hinz, columnist for Crain’s Chicago Business
– Jonathan E. Howard, M.D., NYU Langone
– Darlene Duggan, head of Anticruelty
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's show:
– Sarah Raisch, partner at Romanucci & Blandin and lawyer representing the family of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this month
– Reed Bible, former supervisory special agent for U.S. Homeland Security
– Emeline Posner, journalist with the Investigative Project on Race an...
On today's show Professor William Muck fills in for Joan and his guests are
– Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of “The Watergate Girl,” co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks
– Jonathan Rauch, contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program a...
On today's show:
– Jim Coyne, business manager of Plumbers Local 130
– Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News (Courier)
– Rohit Chopra, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and resident fellow at the The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School; earlier this month The States Forum recently published his article &ld...
On today's show
– Jason Vincent of Giant restaurant in Logan Square; he’ll be headlining Tuesday’s ACLU fundraiser at Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar in Chicago
– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial
– Corbin Trent, Democratic strategist who served as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s communications director and is cur...
On today's show:
– J. Patrick Coolican, editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Reformer
– Chris Armitage, author of The Existentialist Republic newsletter on Substack
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– “Out Chicago” host Scott Duff and film critic Rebecca Ford
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00...
On today's show:
– Rex Huppke, USA Today columnist
– Rich Logis, founder and executive director of Leaving MAGA
– Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from our digital newsroom
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).
See omnyst...
On today's show Richard Chew fills in for Joan and his guests are:
– Rachel Bitecofer, national political analyst, editor of The Cycle-On Substack, author of “Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at their Own Game”
– John Laesch, mayor of Aurora, former East Aurora School Board member, and former naval intelligence analyst
– Aaron Klein...
On today's show:
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Majid Padellan, AKA Brooklyn Dad Defiant
– Spencer Critchley, author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good podcast
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Prog...
On today's show:
– Jonathan Alter, contributing editor of the Washington Monthly, former senior editor and columnist at Newsweek, filmmaker, journalist, political analyst, and the publisher of the Substack “Old Goats with Jonathan Alter.“ His latest piece for Washington Monthly is “How the Murder of Good Changes the Stakes for Good”
– Joe Brancatelli of the joesentme.com busi...
On today's show:
– Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
– Rick Smith, host of “The Rick Smith Show,” weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Central on WCPT
– Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from our digital newsroom
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/li...
On today's show:
– U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)
– Margaret Donovan, attorney at Koskoff Koskoff and Bieder, visiting clinical lecturer in law at Yale Law School, former assistant United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, Army veteran and former captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps
– William Baumgartner, former United States Coast Guard rear admiral who served...
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