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
– Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter “This Week in Statehouse Action“
– Ray LaHood, former Illinois congressman and former U.S. Transportation secretary; on August 27 he will participate in a City Club of Chicago event with Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, “Can Bipartisanship Still Work?“
– Peter Giangreco, Democratic strategist, partn...
On today's show:
– Melissa Toufanian, former State Department deputy assistant secretary who served on the communications team for the original Iran nuclear deal under President Obama, and now serves as managing director at Navigator Research
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" week...
On today's show:
– Lisa Graves, expert on right-wing infrastructure, founder and executive director of True North Research, legal scholar, author of “Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights” and the Substack column “Grave Injustice“
– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College
On today's show
– Joyce Vance, author of "Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy"; co-host of the "#SistersInLaw" podcast; distinguished professor of the Practice of Law at the University of Alabama; author of the “Civil Discourse” newsletter on Substack; and former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
– Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party and a...
On today's show
– Julia Métraux, disability reporter for Mother Jones; she discusses her recent article, “California Does Medicaid Home Care Well. They’re Being Punished For It.“
– Ray Long, retired Chicago Tribune investigative reporter
– Pete Dominick, news commentator, stand-up comic, and host of the “Stand Up! with Pete Dominick” podcast
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local ...
On today's show
– Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News, ahead of next Tuesday’s primary election in Wisconsin
– Joe Cunningham, former congressman who now serves as spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance; he’ll discuss PRA’s new report on big pharma and drug prices
– Rex Huppke, USA Today columnist
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" wee...
On today's show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– “Out Chicago” host Scott Duff and film critic Rebecca Ford with their monthly look at TV, movies, theater and more
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).
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On today's show:
– Amanda Marcotte, senior writer at Salon.com; her latest piece is “The MAGA-ification of Hollywood is going to be so boring“
– Professor Steven D. Schwinn of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
– U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
– Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from o...
On today's show:
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter
– Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law Emerita at the University of Minnesota and former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
– Terry Savage, syndicated personal finance columnist and author
Catch "Jo...
On today's show
– Christopher Armitage, author, veteran, former law enforcement officer, activist, policy adviser, and publisher of The Existentialist Republic on Substack; his latest piece is “Are Foreign Intelligence Agencies and Criminals Killing Donald Trump’s Enemies to Earn His Favor“
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University
Catch "Joan Es...
On today's show
– Dominic Pacyga, urban historian and author of the 2025 book “Clout City: The Rise and Fall of the Chicago Political Machine”
– David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist
– Greg Palast, filmmaker, journalist and best-selling author
– Margaret Donovan, attorney at Koskoff Koskoff and Bieder, visiting clinical lecturer in law at Yale Law Sc...
On today's show:
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Jennifer Militello, New Hampshire Poet Laureate
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlands...
On today's show:
– Mark Jacob and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media segment
– Brian Tyler Cohen, author of the new book “The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World“
– Robert Pape, professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs, and author of The Escalation Trap on Substack; his new...
On today's show:
– Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the American Library Association‘s Office for Intellectual Freedom
– Thom Hartmann, host of “The Thom Hartmann Program,” weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Central on WCPT, and author of the new book “Who Killed the American Dream? The Greatest Political Crime Ever Told”
– David Layman, former Providence, Rhode Is...
On today's show
– Julie Roginsky, author of the Salty Politics newsletter on Substack and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices
– Marj Halperin, Democratic analyst heard on “The Mincing Rascals” podcast and organizer with Indivisible Chicago and One Community Near South
– Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, auth...
On today's show
– Jamison Firestone, author of the new memoir “Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride Through Chaos, Corruption, and Murder in Putin’s Russia”
– Dr. Stockton Mayer, infectious disease physician at UI Health
– Brian Endless, senior lecturer and director of African Studies and the African Diaspora at Loyola University Chicago, and founder of The Come Together Project
Cat...
On today's show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Jack Kiraly, director of Government Relations at The Planetary Society
– Marc Kelly Smith, Poetry Slam founder; he talks about the Newberry Library’s acquisition of the Marc Kelly Smith Poetry Slam Collection
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCP...
On today's show:
– Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus, political science at Indiana University Bloomington
– Dr. John Murphy, professor of communication at the University of Illinois and an expert on the history of American public address and political rhetoric
– Jennifer Schulze, former local TV news exec, reporter and producer based in Chicago, and author of Indistinct Chatter on Substa...
On today's show:
– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial
– 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 Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressi...
On today's show
– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College
– Paul Lisnek, multi-Emmy Award-winning TV host who served as political and legal analyst at WGN for 18 years; he is also the author of 15 books and host of “Curtain Call Chicago“
– Young Mie Kim, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, professor in J...
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