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, 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, 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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Recent Featured Interviews

Thomas Hicks, former chair of the federal Election Assistance Commission; he was fired on July 9 when President Donald Trump dismissed all three serving commissioners. 

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

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

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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 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 9/21
– 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,” comes out Tuesday
– Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
– Chris Bury, former TV newsman and recently retired DePaul journalism professor

Tue 9/22
– Jen Thompson, former political campaign manager, former counsel in the U.S. House and Senate, and author of “Wild Pivot: Notes from a Political Life Rewritten” (out today)
– Keri Leigh Merritt, Ph.D., historian and writer; she is the author of “Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South” (2017) and “An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America” (out September 29)
– 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“

Wed 9/23
– Tamar Jacoby, director of the New Ukraine Project at the Progressive Policy Institute and contributor to Washington Monthly; her latest articles are “The New Normal in Kyiv, Ukraine” and “Europe Struggles to Respond to Russian Attacks“
– Joel Ostrow, professor of political science at Benedictine University
– Spencer Critchley, author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good podcast

Thu 9/24
– William Muck, professor of political science at North Central College

Fri 9/25
– Ray Suarez, broadcast journalist and author of “We Are Home: Becoming American in the 21st Century” (2024)

Last week on the show

Mon 9/14
Listen to the full show
Watch the video stream
– Marj Halperin, Democratic analyst heard on “The Mincing Rascals” podcast and organizer with Indivisible Chicago and One Community Near South
– Dr. Judy Stone, infectious diseases physician, journalist and author [Listen]
– Ned Resnikoff, urban policy analyst who writes the newsletter “Public Comment”; he is also author of the forthcoming book, “Build or Die: How America Is Suffocating Its Cities and What to Do About It” [Listen]
– Bobby Kogan, senior director of Federal Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress [Listen]

Tue 9/15
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Joan broadcasts live from Duke’s Ale House & Kitchen in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and her guests are:
– Ruth Scifo, chair of the Democratic Party of McHenry County
– Julie Billimack of Democratic Women of McHenry County
– Illinois State Rep. Suzanne Ness, candidate for re-election in the 66th District [Listen]
– Carolyn Campbell, incumbent member and current candidate for McHenry County Board, District 3
– Gloria Van Hof, incumbent member and current candidate for McHenry County Board, District 3
– Amin Karim, candidate for McHenry County treasurer
– Dee Darling, candidate for McHenry County Board, District 1
– Pat Shea, candidate for McHenry County Board, District 7
– Bridget Belcastro, candidate for Regional Office of Education, McHenry County
– John Bartman, Illinois farmer and activist 
– Austin May, candidate for McHenry County, Board District 5
– Chris Stevens, candidate for McHenry County, Board District 
– Kristina Zahorik, Democratic National Committee Midwest Caucus vice chair [Listen]

Wed 9/16
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– Stephanie Zimmermann, award-winning consumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times [Listen]
– Bill Scher, politics editor at Washington Monthly; his latest article is “Will It Be a Blue Wave?” [Listen]
– Jeffrey A. Winters, professor of political science at Northwestern University, and author of “The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy” (2026) [Listen]

Thu 9/17
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– Autumn Billings, assistant editor at Reason [Listen]
– Thomas Hicks, former chair of the federal Election Assistance Commission; he was fired on July 9 when President Donald Trump dismissed all three serving commissioners [Listen]
– David Hochberg, vice president of lending for Team Hochberg at Homeside Financial

Fri 9/18
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Watch the video stream
– Chris Fitzsimon, host of the Stories from the States podcast
– Rick Smith, host of “The Rick Smith Show,” weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Central on WCPT

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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.