The decisions that shape your healthcare, your kids’ schools, your voting rights — most of them aren’t made in Washington. They’re made in statehouses and in local elections, by governors and regulators and state reps most people couldn’t name. They’re rarely covered with the depth they deserve, and most people never hear about them at all.
That’s the gap Heartland Signal exists to close.
We’re a digital newsroom backed by a growing talk-radio network, focused on the state and local issues, elections and policy fights that affect your daily life. We investigate what’s happening, translate it into plain language, and put it in front of people who can act on it — whether that’s a listener catching our show on the drive home, a community leader sharing our reporting with their network, or a viewer who sees a 60-second clip and realizes a policy fight they didn’t know was happening is already affecting their family.
Our work is urgent. When an Indiana lawmaker quietly stripped the requirement to teach consent from a sex ed bill, we caught it, clipped it, and pushed it to a national audience. Within days, the provision was restored. We find the state-level stories that affect your life before they surface anywhere else, and we move them fast enough to matter.
WCPT 820
WCPT 820 AM is Chicago’s home for progressive talk radio and the broadcast anchor of Heartland Signal’s growing national network.
Our lineup features local voices like Richard Chew,Joan Esposito,Patti Vasquez,Hal Sparks, and Edwin Eisendrath, as well as nationally syndicated Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann. Every Sunday, Scott Duff and Ellen Miller host “Out Chicago,” Chicago’s only live broadcast for the LGBTQ community. The station is also the Chicago radio home of Rick Smith, Matt McNeil, the long-running “Democracy Now,” and more. While rooted in Chicago, WCPT features voices from across the Midwest, and many of its programs are syndicated by stations around the country.
WCPT broadcasts on 820 AM and streams live on the Heartland Signal website, TuneIn.com, and other digital platforms. Select shows stream live video on Facebook, X and YouTube. See our full schedule and how to listen.
WCPT launched the progressive talk format in 2005 as an early affiliate of the Air America network and has been the only progressive outlet in Chicago’s broadcast market since. Today it’s the largest progressive talk operation on the national radio scene — and the foundation for Heartland Signal’s model of pairing trusted radio voices with digital accountability journalism.
Staff
General Manager
Mark has held the same position for over 26 years, starting as GM in 2000 with WSBC AM 1240. Prior to working in radio management, Mark held multiple radio and TV jobs, working primarily as a sports radio/TV anchor, reporter, and play-by-play announcer, for SportsChannel, ESPN Radio 1000 WMVP Chicago, and Loyola University men’s basketball. Mark is also an avid dog lover, and he was the leading tackler on his 8th grade Little Giants football team.
Richard Chew
“Chew’s Views” host
Richard is a Chicago and Midwestern Native. He is a graduate of Pepperdine University and a strong supporter of higher education, learning and skills development. He is proud of the fact that he has visited all 50 of the great states of the United States of America and keeps his passport current to make sure traveling the world is always a “ready to go” item. He and his wife, Anne, love the city, suburbs of Chicago and the great State Of Illinois.
Matt Comings
WCPT 820 Operations Manager
Matt Comings is a life-long Chicagoland resident, growing up in the western suburbs and graduating from Columbia College Chicago. During his media career Matt has worked for WFLD – Fox 32 as a sports producer, One On One Sports / Sporting News Radio – growing in his role there from a board operator to executive producer, to Director of Master Control Operations, and Director of Engineering, and for XM Radio and Harpo Radio as a producer / engineer for the Oprah Radio channel. Matt has been with WCPT 820 since 2012.
Senior Digital Strategist
Antonio Correa is a Chicago native and Marine Corps Veteran with a bachelor’s in communications with a minor in marketing from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He has worked for various radio stations in the Chicagoland area. Longtime producer for Back on the Beat with Dick Kay, host of Vet Talk, and promotions coordinator at WCPT. He joined Heartland Signal as senior digital strategist.
Scott Duff
Host of Out Chicago
Scott Duff is an actor/comic/storyteller and the host and producer of OUT CHICAGO, a weekly live talk show for the LGBTQ+ community, airing on WCPT since 2013. When not chatting with politicians, community organizers, local artists and global celebrities, he can be found creating deliciousness in the kitchen.
Multimedia Reporter
Rich Eberwein is a multimedia journalist for Heartland Signal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois before joining Heartland Signal in 2022. In addition to politics, Rich writes about baseball and entertainment for Fansided. Read Richard’s reporting
Edwin Eisendrath
“It’s the Democracy, Stupid” host
Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority.
Joan Esposito
“Live, Local & Progressive” host
Monday through Friday Political talk radio afternoon host at Heartlandsignal. Former award winning Journalist who now has opinions and is fighting to hang on to our democracy one conversation at a time. Listen to Joan’s programs
Rodney Gibbs
Executive Director
Rodney Gibbs held executive roles at The Texas Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The National Trust for Local News. He’s a board member of the Online News Association and an instructor and coach in CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. He’s also a record collector and live music fan.
Aaron Kleinman
Head of Research
Aaron Kleinman is Heartland Media’s Head of Research, a role where he leverages his deep experience with state politics to inform the public about what’s going on across the country. Prior to his time at Heartland he served as the Director of Research for The States Project, an organization dedicated to achieving America’s Promise by educating people about the states. He’s a Connecticut native and won the state’s 1996 Geography Bee.
Steve Lessman
General Sales Manager
Steve Lessman has been in Chicago Broadcast Ad Sales for his entire career. He has worked at WMAQ 670 AM, WLS Radio, WFLD Television Chicago, WSCR Radio the SCORE, and WGN Radio. Prior to WCPT Radio, Lessman sold radio advertising for play by play sports. For 20 years he represented Chicago Major Sports teams radio stations WSCR Sox and Bears, WGN Radio Chicago Blackhawks and WLS Radio Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls. The last seven years has been very rewarding representing WCPT Radio and the important conversations taking place on WCPT Radio.
Multimedia Editor
Austin Linfante is a multimedia editor and reporter for Heartland Signal, covering politics throughout the Midwest. He has a master’s of science in journalism from Ohio University, and he previously worked for The New York Times and Cleveland Scene Magazine. Read Austin’s reporting
Nikos Michals
Digital Associate
While also being a part of the WCPT team for over three years, Nikos Michals joined Heartland Signal as part of their social media team, finding and editing clips that cover Midwest and national politics. He previously worked with the Windy City Bulls and Chicago Steel organizations as a part of their respective digital teams.
Executive Producer
Andy Miles has written for various publications, co-authored a book on Evanston history, worked in public television and radio, hosted podcasts for clients like the Illinois Holocaust Museum, owned and operated a company specializing in congressional hearing transcripts, and for nine years owned and managed a Chicago gallery/shop/performance and teaching space. He has been with WCPT since 2022.
Ellen Miller
“Out Chicago” co-host
Ellen Miller is the co-host of Out Chicago on WCPT, where since 2013 she’s brought warmth, wit, intelligence and insight to conversations celebrating and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. When she’s not on the air, she can be found playing harmonica with her band, Nelson Street Revival, or helping clients find their perfect home as a real estate agent with @properties. Ellen first developed her passion for local radio, social anctivism and community issues during her 25 year career as an Account Executive at WXRT-FM. Ellen and her wife Kathy live in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood and enjoy travel, music, dining, and theater.
Jorge Murillo
WSBC Operations Manager
Jorge Murillo is a Chicago native who began his radio career as a remote technician with Heftel Broadcasting, and has also worked for Z-Spanish Media, Inc., and Entravision’s “Super Estrella” radio network as a production assistant and the head remote technician for Chicago. Jorge was part of the team that launched WCPT in 2005 for Newsweb Radio Company, and was also the Operation’s Manager for their time-brokered radio stations where they had programs with about 15+ different languages. He currently works at Heartland Signal, LLC as the Operations Manager of WSBC, with some additional responsibilities for WCPT, and loves to travel during his spare time.
Patti Vasquez
“Driving It Home” host
Patti Vasquez is the host of “Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez” on WCPT 820 AM, airing weekdays from 5-7 PM CST and syndicated to KTNF 1150 AM in Seattle and KTNF AM 950 in Minnesota. A Silver Dome Award winner for Best Radio Personality and stand-up comedian with over 20 years of experience, she’s performed internationally and appeared on NBC’s “Chicago Fire”, TBS, and The Oprah Winfrey Network. She’s a passionate advocate for individuals with disabilities and fought against Governor Rauner’s attempts to break unions by making marginalized communities suffer, helping restore funding for programs serving people with disabilities, senior citizens, and working families across the state. Patti also writes weekly columns for Minocqua Brewing Company’s publication; the daughter of a Mexican immigrant mother and Irish cab driver father, she brings a distinctly Chicago voice to her work across comedy, radio, and advocacy.
