Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)
Here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago), a topical and interactive talk show from Chicago 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
On today's show:
– Bruce Rheins, former CBS Los Angeles deputy bureau chief
– Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News (Courier)
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:
– Jordan Wood, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate running to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
– Kylie Cheung, author of Coercion: Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans
– Michael Jones, founder, publisher and national political correspondent for
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/pr...
On today's show:
– 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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's show:
– Chicago TV newsman and political reporter Mike Flannery
– Greg Hinz, columnist for Crain’s Chicago Business
– John Fugelsang, actor, comedian, podcaster and radio host, TV pundit, and author of the forthcoming book “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds”
Ca...
On today's show:
– Alison Gash, professor of political science at the University of Oregon, author of “Below the Radar: How Silence Can Save Civil Rights,” and contributor to Washington Monthly; she is also the president of OurSchool, “a nurturing and creative anti-racist digital space for LGBTQIA+ young people and their communities to learn, celebrate, and thrive.”
– Army Ma...
On today's show:
– Mark Jacob and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media hour
– Dave Levitan, science journalist, author of “Not A Scientist: How Politicians Mistake, Misrepresent, and Utterly Mangle Science,” and deputy editor of Splinter
– Democratic lawyer Michael Dorf
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central o...
On today's show:
– Yasmeen Bankole, candidate for Congress in the 8th Congressional District of Illinois
– Justin Schmitt, president, The USAA Foundation, which is a founding member organization of Face the Fight, a collaborative initiative to address the crisis around veteran suicide; he’ll be joined by Sarah Pridgen of Rush University Medical Center
– Michael Kirk, PBS &l...
On today's show:
– Eric Zorn, writer-publisher of The Picayune Sentinel
– Kendall Scudder, chair of the Texas Democratic Party
– 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).
On today's show:
– State Rep. Ann Williams (D-IL)
– David Atkins, Washington Monthly contributing writer; his latest piece is “The GOP’s Cruel Budget and the Authoritarianism Behind the ‘Big Beautiful Bill'”
– Spencer Critchley, author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good podcast
Catch "Joan Esposito...
On today's show:
– Kainoa Lowman, communications associate at the American Economic Liberties Project and Washington Monthly contributor
– Stewart Reynolds, AKA Brittlestar, author of the 2025 book “Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism”
– Chris Bury, senior journalist-in-residence, DePaul University
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays fr...
On today's show:
– Leah Litman, author of “Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes” and professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School
– Former Illinois Congressman (and former Republican) Joe Walsh
– Camaron Stevenson, national correspondent in Washington, D.C. for Courier
On today's show:
– Jessica Valenti, author of the book Abortion. Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win and the Substack newsletter “Abortion, Every Day with Jessica Valenti”
– Tom Villanova, retired president of the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council; he’ll talk about the Southland Friends of Labor Union Labor 101 Workshop
&ndash...
On today's show:
– Susan Rinkunas, independent journalist covering abortion, reproductive health, and politics; she is a contributing writer at Jezebel and a Democracy Docket contributor
– 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<...
On today's show:
– Dr. Anna Pelak, DDS, of Total Dentistry in Streamwood and Palatine
– Rex Huppke, USA Today columnist
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University
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 inf...
On today's show 40th Ward Committeeperson Maggie O’Keefe fills in for Joan and her guests are:
– Katrina Shankland, executive director of Rust Belt Rising, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and 2024 Democratic candidate for Congress
– Noah Millman, screenwriter, filmmaker, political columnist and critic
– Project 50 senior adviser Terry Cosgrove and Project 50 executi...
Turi Ryder fills in for Joan and her guests are:
– Harvey Nagler, retired head of CBS Radio News
– Alanna Vagianos, senior national reporter at HuffPost where she covers gender and politics
– David Levine, professor at UC Law San Francisco
– Jonathan D. Katz, curator of the exhibition “The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939” at Wrightwood 659 through J...
Derrick Blakley fills in for Joan Esposito and his guests are:
– Marquinn McDonald, community safety advocate and member of the 2nd Police District Council
– Abierre Minor, member of the Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
– Delmarie Cobb, media/political consultant
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsi...
On today's show:
– Sonia Suter and Naomi Cahn, co-authors of recent articles in Nonprofit Quarterly and The Conversation about the Supreme Court case Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
– Jen Golbeck, professor, computer scientist, psychologist, “expert in the far-right, online extremism, AI, and bad things on the internet,” and author of the MAGAReport on Substack...
On today's show:
– Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
– Nina Burleigh, journalist, best-selling author, documentary producer, and publisher of the American Freakshow Substack newsletter
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Mark Jacob and Jennifer ...
On today's show:
– Steve Solomon, star of "Steve Solomon's My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy," coming to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for two July 19th performances
– Peter Beinart, editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, professor of journalism at the City University of New York, and author of the 2025 book “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning&rd...
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