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Penny For Your Thoughts

NewsTalk 1400 & 93.9-FM
Illinois Football
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Illinois Fighting Illini
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Indiana Football
Big Ten Tournament
Illinois Fighting Illini Football
Chicago
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UCLA

A long-standing radio program unlike any other. Brian Barnhart hosts a two-hour program that gives the community a place to discuss about almost anything. Brian welcomes listener calls, texts and emails, often about current events, politics, culture or sports. He also chats with notable community members and journalists.

PublishesDailyEpisodes300Founded9 years ago
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Artwork for Penny For Your Thoughts

Latest Episodes

Brian Barnhart hosts Penny. Peter Folk from Volo and local farmer Scott Bidner discuss Connect Champaign County, broadband for rural Champaign County. Then a Penny open line.

Brian Barnhart hosts a Penny open line. Bianca Burnside and Tracy Dave with DREAAM discuss upcoming summer events.

Brian Barnhart hosts Julia Rietz, Champaign County State’s Attorney, in the first hour then a Penny open line.

With the unveiling of the 2026-27 schedule this week, Scott Beatty visits with Mike Ross, the director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, about the wide breadth of artists in the season lineup and the approach to creating the schedule.

Brian Barnhart hosts a Penny open line and with the unveiling of the 2026-27 schedule this week, Scott Beatty visits with Mike Ross, the director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts about the wide breadth of artists in the season lineup.

Dave Leake hosts Penny with LA Fredrickson discussing local music and 250 episodes of “Homegrown KIO”. Then Dave welcomed Doug Brooks, Rod Stoll, and Donald “D-Ray” Tucker to talk about being an IHSA official.

Jim Dey hosts Penny. Today’s guest is Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and budget director for the City of Chicago.

Brian Barnhart hosts Penny and local attorney Tom Bruno, then a Penny open line.

Key Facts

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

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Recent Guests

Savio Uccello
Tour manager for Colette Italy trips
Colette Travel
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 5-29-26
Jim Leonard
CEO of the Carl Megalopolis, interviewee in first hour
Carle Hospital
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-28-26
Don Tracy
Republican US Senate candidate, guest in second hour
U.S. Senate Campaign
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-28-26
Paul Dalbey
Jackson Dalbey's father; engineer
Private individual
Episode: Jackson Dalbey 5-27-26
Jackson Dalbey
Merit Scholar winner; Purdue-bound student
Purdue University (incoming student)
Episode: Jackson Dalbey 5-27-26
Patrick Kenneally
Former McHenry County State's Attorney; lawyer representing cannabis lawsuit plaintiffs
McHenry County legal team
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-27-26
Lawrence Jeckel
Champagne County psychiatrist with experience treating cannabis-related issues
Private practice/Champaign County medical field
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-27-26
Kent Redfield
Retired University of Illinois political science professor and long-time legislature watcher
University of Illinois, Springfield (retired)
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 5-26-26
Bryan Soady
Executive Director and CEO of the State Universities Annuitants Association
State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA)
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 5-22-26

Host

Brian Barnhart
Host of Penny For Your Thoughts, longtime local radio host known for guiding open-line discussions on current events, politics, culture, and sports; frequently interacts with listeners and conducts guest interviews.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Penny for Your Thoughts 5-26-26
Q: Kent, have you been paying any attention at all to this bill to establish a funding formula for higher education?
Redfield explains that the measure is modeled after K-12 baselines, directing new funds to underfunded schools, and notes the political challenge of passing such a compromise this session.
Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-28-26
Q: What is your take on the filibuster and its role in the Senate?
Tracy defends the filibuster as essential for bipartisanship and stable governance, arguing that ending it would move the Senate toward chaotic, partisan rule and that some Democratic efforts to end it would be detrimental.
Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-28-26
Q: What are your views on Iran and how to address the nuclear threat?
Tracy argues for a strong, proactive stance to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon, opposing appeasement, and supporting decisive action when necessary, while highlighting the need for a bipartisan approach to national security.
Penny for Your Thoughts | 5-28-26
Q: Tell us about yourself and your background.
Don Tracy explains his upbringing in western Illinois, his long career in a family business, time practicing law, and his path through politics, including state chairmanship of the Illinois Republican Party and his run for lieutenant governor and now the U.S. Senate. He emphasizes his business and legal experience as a backdrop to his candidacy and policy positions.
Penny for Your Thoughts 5-29-26
Q: What stood out about the Italy trip according to the host?
The variety and beauty of the Italian regions visited, the quality of the guides, especially Savio, and the ability to connect with listeners through shared travel experiences.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Penny For Your Thoughts

What is Penny For Your Thoughts about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program is a long-running, open-format community radio show where the host facilitates a two-hour call-in style conversation touching on current events, politics, culture, and sports, with occasional interviews from local journalists and notable community members. Episodes feature a broad mix of topics—from local government and infrastructure updates to arts, history, and technology—seasoned with listener questions, live calls, and sponsor mentions. A standout pattern is hospitality toward diverse voices, including government officials, educators, healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, and local journalists, making it a strong fit for brands seeking broad community reach and local relevance. The show regularly spotlights civic is... more

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How many listeners does Penny For Your Thoughts get?

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To see how many followers or subscribers Penny For Your Thoughts 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 Penny For Your Thoughts?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Penny For Your Thoughts:

1. SportsTalk
2. Illini Pella Saturday SportsTalk
3. Illini Inquirer Podcast: An Illinois Fighting Illini athletics podcast
4. Inside Illini Basketball
5. News-Gazette Radio powered by GTPS

How many episodes of Penny For Your Thoughts are there?

Penny For Your Thoughts 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 Penny For Your Thoughts?

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What guests have appeared on Penny For Your Thoughts?

Recent guests on Penny For Your Thoughts include:

1. Savio Uccello
2. Jim Leonard
3. Don Tracy
4. Paul Dalbey
5. Jackson Dalbey
6. Patrick Kenneally
7. Lawrence Jeckel
8. Kent Redfield

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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