Live, Local & Progressive

Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive is 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.

“Live, Local & Progressive” is also heard now on Atlanta’s WMLB AM 1690 and KFNN 1510 AM Phoenix, and streaming live on Facebook and YouTube. 

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Notable recent interviews: Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Michigan Sec. of State Jocelyn Benson, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission Anna M. Gomez, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), U.S. House Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Sean Casten (D-IL), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Danny Davis (D-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Scott Peters (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), reproductive freedom and abortion rights activists Hadley Duvall and Amanda Zurawski, Ira Glass, gun control activist David Hogg, Rainbow PUSH Coalition CEO Yusef Jackson, Ezra Levin of Indivisible, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Politics Girl Leigh McGowan, Carol Moseley Braun, The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, author and pundit Chris Matthews, author Richard North Patterson, CNN’s Manu Raju, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, “Anonymous” author Miles Taylor, author-pundit Molly-Jong Fast, author Jessica Valenti, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, 1/6 Capitol officers Michael Fanone and Aquilino Gonell, progressive content creators Brian Tyler Cohen, Adam Mockler, and Brooklyn Dad Defiant, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party Kendall Scudder, legal analysts Leah Litman, Melissa Murray, Barbara McQuade, Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Retired Army Major General Randy Manner, Maureen Dowd, Sandra Cisneros

About Joan
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).

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Featured Interviews

Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Democrat representing the 1st District of Illinois.

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Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat representing the 5th District of Missouri.

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Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of “The Escalation Trap” on Substack; his new book, “Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Age of Violent Populism,” is out now.

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Ira Glass, creator and host of “This American Life.”

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Adam Mockler, Gen-Z liberal political commentator who hosts “The Adam Mockler Show” on You Tube.  He discusses the rise of independent media, network shifts at CNN and CBS, and current trends within the Democratic Party.

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Joan Esposito and guest Chris Bury are joined by Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley, Democrat representing the 5th District of Illinois. They discuss concerns regarding U.S. foreign policy, national security readiness, and threats to democratic stability.

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Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party and author of the new book, “This Is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy” (2026).

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Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat representing the 8th District of Illinois.

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Brian Tyler Cohen, author of the new book “The Day After: How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World.”

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Anna M. Gomez, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. 

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U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) for a conversation about the war in Iran, the dishonesty of Sec. of State Marco Rubio, the cost of living, and more. 

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Ahead of the four-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Joan is joined by Hadley Duvall, reproductive freedom and abortion rights activist. 

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Amanda Zurawski, reproductive rights activist who was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Zurawski v. State of Texas case.

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Joan is joined by Leigh McGowan, AKA Politics Girl.

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Joan is joined by David Hogg, gun control activist and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

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Joan is joined by Chris Matthews, former host of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” (now on Substack), and author of “Lessons from Bobby: Ten Reasons Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters.”

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Joan talks to U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

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Click here for all of Joan’s Featured Interviews.

Listen live weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at 820 AM, on TuneIn, right here on the Heartland Signal website, or watch the video stream (live or on demand) on Facebook or YouTube. 

Text or phone 773-763-9278.
Follow Joan on Threads and Bluesky.

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This week on the show

Mon 10/19
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– Amanda Zahorak, Democratic candidate for Illinois House District 48
– 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” and “Paul On Politics“
– 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 book, “Our Own Worst Enemies: America in the Age of Violent Populism,” came out last month [Listen]

Tue 10/20
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Mike Nellis fills in for Joan and his guests are
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter
– 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 [Listen]
– Richard Chew, host of “Chew’s Views,” weekday mornings from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT, AM 950 The Progressive Voice of Minnesota, KFNN 1510 AM Phoenix, and Atlanta’s WMLB AM 1690; the show also airs on WARR in Warren County, North Carolina
– Matthew Botvinick, world-renowned AI researcher and neuroscientist who is senior fellow at Yale Law School, a member of the technical staff at Anthropic, and author of “AI and Political Freedom: The Risk to Democracy and How to Respond” (2026) [Listen]

Wed 10/21
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Carolyn Fiddler fills in for Joan and her guests are
– Ben Jacobs, reporter
– Chris Mann, Democratic candidate for attorney general of Kansas [Listen]
– Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) [Listen]
– Minnesota Attorney General Keith Elllison, 2026 candidate for re-election [Listen]
– Tevin Davis, multidisciplinary artist and digital creator whose work spans theater, television, film, comedy, music, political satire, and digital media

Thu 10/22
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Rickey Hendon fills in for Joan and his guests include:
– Willie Wilson, 2027 candidate for Chicago mayor
– Pennie McCoach, president and business agent of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 308, which represents rail workers for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College

Fri 10/23
Joan returns and her guests are:
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast; a radio version of the podcast now airs on WCPT Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Central
– Bruce Rheins, former CBS Los Angeles deputy bureau chief

Last week on the show

Mon 10/12
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– Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible [Listen]
– Michael Hawthorne, Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune [Listen]
– Ira Shapiro, co-author of “Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This” [Listen]
– Willie Wilson, 2027 candidate for Chicago mayor [Listen]

Tue 10/13
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– John Parker, host of “The Gaily Show,” weeknights at 10:00 Central on WCPT [Listen]
– Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter “This Week in Statehouse Action [Listen]
– 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; her latest article is “Live Streamed Execution: MAGAReport 10/9/26“
– Chris Bury, former TV newsman and recently retired DePaul journalism professor

Wed 10/14
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– John Stoehr, editor and publisher of The Editorial Board, “a newsletter about politics in plain English for normal people and the common good” [Listen]
– Tom Villanova of Southland Friends of Labor; he is also the retired president of the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council
– Joel Ostrow, political scientist and “World Discord Podcast” co-host [Listen]

Thu 10/15
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– Laura Belin, publisher, editor, and reporter for Bleeding Heartland, a community website focused on Iowa politics [Listen]
– John Bartman, fifth-generation Illinois soybean farmer and activist [Listen]
– Joe Cunningham, former congressman who now serves as spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance [Listen]
– Joe Brancatelli of the joesentme.com business travel newsletter

Fri 10/16
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– Jen Thompson, former Republican campaign manager, former counsel in the U.S. House and Senate, and author of “Wild Pivot: Notes from a Political Life Rewritten” (2026) [Listen]
– David Layman, former Providence, Rhode Island, news anchor, managing editor, and political commentator for RIPBS

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“Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive” now has its very own podcast. Two, in fact:  Joan Esposito (Full Episodes), available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon, and Joan Esposito (Featured Interviews), also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Amazon. Subscribe to one or both!  “Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive” is also available at Omny.fm.