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.

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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, 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

Joan is joined by 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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Joan is joined by 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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Joan talks to U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)

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Joan is joined by 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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Joan is joined by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).

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

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Joan is joined by 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,” comes out September 22.

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Joan is joined by Jamison Firestone, author of the new memoir “Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride Through Chaos, Corruption, and Murder in Putin’s Russia.”

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Joan is joined by Anna M. Gomez, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. 

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Joan is joined by 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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Joan is joined by 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 tell Alexa to play WCPT from TuneIn.

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

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This 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

Tue 9/1
– Jordan Zaslow, founder/executive director at Her Bold Move
– 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”
– Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief of The Washington Monthly and founder of the magazine’s alternative college rankings; the new rankings were published Sunday

Wed 9/2
– 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
– Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner (Ret.), former acting vice chair of the National Guard Bureau, and member of National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A)
– Pat Kreitlow, founder and editor of Up North News, ahead of next Tuesday’s primary election in Wisconsin

Thu 9/3
– Eric Zorn, writer-publisher of The Picayune Sentinel
– Heartland Signal’s Rich Eberwein with three stories you might have missed from our digital newsroom

Fri 9/4
– “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, July 12  

Last week on the show

Mon 8/24
Listen to the full show
John St. Augustine fills in for Joan and his guests are
– Donald Remy, former deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs (2021-2023) and former CEO and chief legal officer of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (2011-2021); his new book is “Collegiate Capitalism: The Battle for the Future of College Sports” [Listen]
– Tim Male of The Alliance for Environmental Markets and Investments
– Dino Miliotis, entrepreneur and motivational speaker
– Heidy Moran, principal at Carl Schurz High School
– Paul Brancky of the Glenview Historical Society

Tue 8/25
Listen to the full show
Turi Ryder fills in for Joan and her guests are
– David Levine, professor of law, UC Law San Francisco
– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial
– U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) [Listen]
– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College

Wed 8/26
Listen to the full episode
– Professor Steven D. Schwinn of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law [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]
– Suzanne Chod, professor of political science at North Central College
– David Orr, former Cook County clerk and Chicago alderman and founder of Good Government Illinois

Thu 8/27
Listen to the full show
 – Christopher Armitage, author, veteran, former law enforcement officer, activist, policy adviser, and publisher of The Existentialist Republic on Substack; his latest piece is “Articles of Impeachment for Justice Clarence Thomas” [Listen]
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University

Fri 8/28
Listen to the full show
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– 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 [Listen]
– Poets Mark Turcotte and Mayda Del Valle, who are scheduled to appear at the Printers Row Lit Fest in September

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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.