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 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), Rep. 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, 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, Brooklyn Dad Defiant and Keith Edwards, 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

Richard North Patterson, best-selling author, attorney and political commentator; his new book, “Tripwires: 15 Twenty-First-Century Events That Undermined American Democracy—and How to Reclaim,” was released yesterday

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Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union president and president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. They discuss upcoming school board election priorities, the role of the board president, and recent legal actions taken by the Chicago Teachers Union.

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

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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 Yusef Jackson, newly appointed president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. 

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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 9/7
Happy Labor Day; enjoy a best-of episode

Tue 9/8
Listen to the full show
– Stephen Marche, novelist and essayist who recently wrote a New York Times guest essay, “Canada Said No to America. It Will Reverberate Far Beyond Its Borders” [Listen]
– Aaron Kleinman, Heartland Signal‘s senior political analyst and author of the “Radio Free America” newsletter [Listen]
– Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at ACLU Illinois [Listen]

Wed 9/9
Listen to the full show
Watch the video stream
– Dani Negrete, national political director at Indivisible [Listen]
– U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) [Listen]
– Carolyn Fiddler, state politics expert and author of the newsletter “This Week in Statehouse Action [Listen]
– Michael Dorf, Democratic lawyer, the Law Offices of Michael C. Dorf, LLC

Thu 9/10
Listen to the full show
Watch the video stream
– Ira Glass, creator and host of “This American Life“; Glass will appear at the Chicago Humanities Festival Monday, October 5 for an evening called “Half-Baked Stories About My Dead Mom: Ira Glass and Etgar Keret Don’t Mince Words” [Listen]
– Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus, political science at Indiana University Bloomington

Fri 9/11
– Joseph Dittmar, 9/11 Twin Towers survivor (from the “Live, Local & Progressive ” archive)
– Clifford Chanin, director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum
– Graeme Wood, author of “The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State” and staff writer at The Atlantic; last month he wrote piece headlined “What Happened to al-Qaeda?” 
– James Dowdell of the Visionary Network, an organization founded in 2020 by a group of individuals dedicated to preserving the memory of their loved ones and honoring the commitment to never forget 9/11

Last week on the show

Mon 8/31
Listen to the full show
– Mark Jacob and Jennifer Schulze with our regular media segment
– Brian Endless, senior lecturer and director of African Studies and the African Diaspora at Loyola University Chicago, and founder of The Come Together Project [Listen]

Tue 9/1
Listen to the full show
– Jordan Zaslow, founder/executive director at Her Bold Move [Listen]
– Ray Long, retired Chicago Tribune investigative reporter
– David Atkins, Washington Monthly contributing writer; his latest piece is “I’m a DNC Committee Member. The Party Isn’t Broken” [Listen]
– Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief of The Washington Monthly and founder of the magazine’s alternative college rankings; the new rankings were published Sunday [Listen]

Wed 9/2
Listen to the full show
– Richard North Patterson, best-selling author, attorney and political commentator; his new book, “Tripwires: 15 Twenty-First-Century Events That Undermined American Democracy—and How to Reclaim,” was released yesterday [Listen]
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) [Listen]
– Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News

Thu 9/3
Listen to the full show
– Eric Zorn, writer-publisher of The Picayune Sentinel
– Illinois Democratic State Rep. La Shawn Ford, candidate for Congress in the 7th District of Illinois [Listen]
– Edwin Eisendrath, host of “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT) and publisher of “It’s The Democracy, Stupid” on Substack [Listen]

Fri 9/4
Listen to the full show
– “Out Chicago” host Scott Duff and film critic Rebecca Ford with their monthly look at TV, movies, theater and more
– Michael Gebert, James Beard Award-winning food writer, video producer, and author of “The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining” (2026); he will be appearing at Chicago’s Printers Row Lit Fest Saturday, September 12  

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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.