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Illinois Football
Big Ten Football
Major League Baseball
Tom Jones Challenger League
Olympics
Transfer Portal
Illinois Women's Basketball
Big Ten Conference
NCAA
College Sports
NIL
Big Ten
Scholarship Limits
Baltimore Orioles
Illinois
Big Ten Media Days
Realignment
NIL Deals
Illinois Big Ten Football
Paris Olympics

A daily look at the latest in sports, mostly focused on the Illini. A variety of guests join the program, and the News-Gazette sportswriters make Mondays their own.

PublishesDailyEpisodes300Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Sports

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Artwork for SportsTalk

Latest Episodes

Brian Barnhart and Mike Koon visit The News-Gazette sports writers at Esquire Lounge to preview Illinois' prospects for the upcoming NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Parkland men's basketball coach John Bowler and players Jaiden Martin and Grant Chamberlain join Joey Wright and Evan Conn on the eve of the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

Steve Kelly and Loren Tate welcome News-Gazette sportswriter Scott Richey to the studio to talk Illini basketball then visit with Joe Henricksen (Chicago Sun Times reporter) on the IHSA state tournament.

St. Jospeh-Ogden offensive lineman Cameron Wagner joins The News-Gazette sports writers to share insight on his decorated prep football career, which has earned him offers from numerous college football power programs.

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Cameron Wagner
High school football prospect, St. Joseph-Ogden (IL) offensive lineman
St. Joseph-Ogden High School
Episode: Cameron Wagner | 3-9-26
Lee Hall
IHSA broadcast commentator with extensive experience in state finals
IHSA broadcast team
Episode: Loren Tate, Craig Anderson & Lee Hall | 3-10-26
Craig Anderson
Executive Director of the IHSA
Illinois High School Association (IHSA)
Episode: Loren Tate, Craig Anderson & Lee Hall | 3-10-26
Craig Passman
Coaches vs. Cancer event organizer
Esquire Lounge / News-Gazette
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26
Daniel Ribeiro
Men's gymnastics athlete
University of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26
Sam Phillips
Men's gymnastics athlete
University of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26
Tate Costa
Men's gymnastics athlete
University of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26
Josh Nilsson
Head coach, Illinois Women's Gymnastics
University of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26
Aaliyah Byrne
Women's gymnastics athlete
University of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Gymnastics | 3-2-26

Hosts

Joey Wright
Host of Sports Talk on the News-Gazette WDWS and related sports desk programs; frequent panelist and lead host on Illinois sports conversations.
Evan Conn
Host of SportsTalk; regular co-host on local sports programs, covers Illinois basketball and broader Illinois sports topics.
Matt Daniels
Sports writer/host contributing to local sports programming; part of the Esquire Lounge and related show formats.
Bob Asmussen
Co-host and contributor on SportsTalk; provides analytical takes on Illinois basketball and football.
Loren Tate
Host/Co-host on Sports Talk; long-running presence in Illinois sports broadcasting.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 21 ratings
  • Great content, questionable audio quality

    As a long time Illini football season ticket holder, living outside CU, I greatly appreciate this podcast. I give the content an A grade, but the production (and this is true for each and every WDWS podcast) a C grade. Feedback, over modulation and callers that you can’t hear are a constant and definitely a problem.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    illinidodgers
    United States3 years ago
  • Terrific Show

    Fantastic post game show, very capable house, Scott, Evan, Trent. Terrific regular callers including Steve from Peoria. Does tend to attract some Negative Normans who like the sound of their own complaints, but they quickly crawl back into their cracks when the light comes out on Illini wins.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Erebiz
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Guests and topics are engaging, with a clear focus on local teams and events.
The banter and expertise from hosts create an authentic, community-driven vibe.
Listeners appreciate in-depth Illinois sports context and insider perspectives.
Coverage of NIL and governance adds timely, relevant angles for sponsors and guests.
Production quality varies; audio sometimes falls short of the strong content.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Loren Tate, Craig Anderson & Lee Hall | 3-10-26
Q: What have you learned about the state tournament after five years back at State Farm Center, and how has the event evolved?
Anderson explains structural changes, ongoing schedule tweaks, feedback-driven adjustments through a basketball advisory committee, and the importance of the local partnership with Champaign County in delivering a high-quality student-athlete experience.
Loren Tate, Craig Anderson & Lee Hall | 3-10-26
Q: Craig, what's the work here today, tomorrow, and the last-second preparations to get things ready?
Anderson describes a complex, multi-part operation with press conferences, accommodations, and video enhancements, emphasizing careful coordination, and staffing to ensure a smooth IHSA state finals experience.
T.J. Wheeler | 2-23-26
Q: How does TJ. Wheeler watch an Illinois game at home?
He prefers to watch from home to avoid distractions and expresses how he often yells at the players and coaches during games.
T.J. Wheeler | 2-23-26
Q: How have you been watching the Illini this season and what stands out to you here toward the end of the regular season?
T.J. Wheeler shares that everything was looking good until their recent losses, emphasizing the need for the team to finish strong both in regulation and overtime.
Michael Finke | 2-20-26
Q: Michael, earlier you mentioned Kylan Boswell and Scott Richie. You'll have a big story on him online and in print tomorrow.
He's from Champaign, and I think he has handled the pressure of being a hometown guy very well.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About SportsTalk

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

This show centers on Illinois sports across high school, college, and professional levels, with a strong emphasis on local teams, athletes, and events. Episodes typically mix game previews and recaps with guest insights from players, coaches, journalists, and broadcasters who cover Illinois athletics, plus live takes on NIL, governance, recruiting, and big matchups. A recurring strength is in-depth local context, insider perspectives, and lively game-day energy that appeals to fans, recruiters, and sponsors focused on the Illini scene and Midwest college sports.

Noteworthy angles include behind-the-scenes recruitment journeys, governance and scheduling decisions affecting prep and collegiate athletics, and unique event coverage like in-are... more

Where can I find podcast stats for SportsTalk?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for SportsTalk. 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 SportsTalk and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does SportsTalk get?

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What are the audience demographics for SportsTalk?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for SportsTalk, 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 SportsTalk have?

To see how many followers or subscribers SportsTalk 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 SportsTalk?

These podcasts share a similar audience with SportsTalk:

1. Inside Fighting Illini Athletics
2. Illini Inquirer Podcast: An Illinois Fighting Illini athletics podcast
3. 60 Minutes
4. The Clark Howard Podcast
5. No Laying Up - Golf Podcast

How many episodes of SportsTalk are there?

SportsTalk launched 9 years ago and published 300 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 SportsTalk?

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 SportsTalk?

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

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What guests have appeared on SportsTalk?

Recent guests on SportsTalk include:

1. Cameron Wagner
2. Lee Hall
3. Craig Anderson
4. Craig Passman
5. Daniel Ribeiro
6. Sam Phillips
7. Tate Costa
8. Josh Nilsson

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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