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Chicago Tonight

WTTW News
Chicago
Trump Administration
Illinois
Chicago Police Department
ICE
Chicago Bears
Immigration Enforcement
SNAP
Immigration
Donald Trump
Operation Midway Blitz
Chicago Public Schools
National Guard
Government Shutdown
Mayor Brandon Johnson
Cook County
Affordable Care Act
Supreme Court
Consent Decree
Chicago Budget

News and public affairs TV series and website covering Chicago politics, education, entertainment, business, science, nature, and more.

PublishesDailyEpisodes168Founded19 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CulturePoliticsTV & Film

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Illinois is added to the CDC’s investigation of the cyclosporiasis outbreak. And two congressional candidates are tossed off the ballot in Illinois’ 4th District.

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Recent Guests

Jeff Buchholz
Reporter, WBVM News Radio
WBVM News Radio
Episode: Week in Review: Hazardous Smoke Blankets the Region; CPS Eyes Layoffs and a Spending Freeze
Shruti Singh
Reporter, Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Episode: Week in Review: Hazardous Smoke Blankets the Region; CPS Eyes Layoffs and a Spending Freeze
John Escalante
Longtime Chicago Police Department veteran, served as interim superintendent 2015-2016
Chicago Police Department
Episode: July 16, 2026 - Full Show
Artemis Thomas
Deputy Director of Live Free Illinois, nonprofit focused on public safety reform
Live Free Illinois
Episode: July 16, 2026 - Full Show
Baltazar Enriquez
President of the Little Village Community Council
Little Village Community Council
Episode: July 16, 2026 - Full Show
Austin Goolsbee
President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Episode: July 15, 2026 - Full Show
Mark Ishaug
CEO of Thresholds
Thresholds
Episode: July 15, 2026 - Full Show
Karen Tamley
CEO of Access Living
Access Living
Episode: July 15, 2026 - Full Show
Barry Taylor
Law lecturer at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Episode: July 15, 2026 - Full Show

Host

Brandice Friedman
Host of Chicago Tonight; frequent panelist on policy discussions

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 97 ratings
  • Unavailable

    Half the time I try to listen to this show it says “episode temporarily unavailable.” Somebody isn’t doing their job correctly.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Big D 7382
    United States5 years ago
  • wttw

    local news is great

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    IanWare23
    United States5 years ago
  • A year later, I have the same issue

    Love the content, but episodes are not available for days sometimes.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Linda☕️
    United States5 years ago
  • Black voices?

    I’ve been watching Chicago Tonight for probably 30 years. Now it’s called “Chicago Tonight Black Voices.” Whatever.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Spud8great
    United States6 years ago
  • Biased reporting

    Unfortunately this show leans strongly to the left or liberal point a view. If you’re a conservative/moderate this may not be the show for you.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    TimBarry1
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Occasional technical issues with episode availability are noted by listeners.
Listeners value the mix of local policy and human-interest stories.
Guests and hosts are respected for expertise and local relevance.
Segments on education funding and health policy are particularly praised.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#118
South Korea/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

July 9, 2026 - Full Show
Q: Joey, why was it important to push for a formal memorial and reparations package, and how does the center help survivors today?
Joey emphasizes the memorial as a public acknowledgement of survivors' truth and highlights the ongoing trauma support provided by the center, alongside legal and advocacy work to ensure justice.
July 9, 2026 - Full Show
Q: Anthony, what has this 11-year journey felt like now that the memorial groundbreaking is finally underway?
Anthony expresses relief and joy, describing the long wait, the need for fair conversations, and the support from city leaders that made the milestone possible.
July 15, 2026 - Full Show
Q: Why is the DOJ memo seen as significant by disability advocates?
Advocates argue the memo challenges established standards of integration under the ADA, raising fears it could be used to justify scaling back home- and community-based services despite not being legally binding.
July 15, 2026 - Full Show
Q: What do the latest inflation numbers imply for the consumer costs in Chicago?
The guest suggests that while inflation has cooled recently, incentives from tariffs and geopolitical risk keep prices elevated, and a sustained series of months is needed to determine a real trend, with energy prices being a key driver.
June 30, 2026 - Full Show
Q: Darryl, what is temporary protected status and who usually qualifies for it?
TPS is an immigration status designed to allow Haitians and others who were already in the United States to live and work here temporarily during upheavals at home, with the potential avenues for status changes if conditions improve.

Audience Metrics

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Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Chicago Tonight

What is Chicago Tonight about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A Chicago-focused public affairs program covers local governance, education, health, and policy, with a steady mix of city politics, budget battles, and societal issues. Recent episodes balance education funding debates and public health topics like weight-management medications, framing complex policy questions through expert panels, local officials, and researchers. Noteworthy is the program's ability to pair hard policy analysis with human-interest stories and regional context, making it useful for listeners who want practical takeaways on how policy changes affect schools, healthcare, and communities in the Chicago area.

Where can I find podcast stats for Chicago Tonight?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Chicago Tonight. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Chicago Tonight and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Chicago Tonight get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Chicago Tonight, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Chicago Tonight?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Chicago Tonight, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Chicago Tonight have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Chicago Tonight has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Chicago Tonight?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Chicago Tonight:

1. Curious City
2. City Cast Chicago
3. State of the Union
4. Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan
5. Fareed Zakaria GPS

How many episodes of Chicago Tonight are there?

Chicago Tonight launched 19 years ago and published 168 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Chicago Tonight?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Chicago Tonight?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Chicago Tonight from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Chicago Tonight?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Chicago Tonight. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Chicago Tonight?

Recent guests on Chicago Tonight include:

1. Jeff Buchholz
2. Shruti Singh
3. John Escalante
4. Artemis Thomas
5. Baltazar Enriquez
6. Austin Goolsbee
7. Mark Ishaug
8. Karen Tamley

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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