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Penny For Your Thoughts

NewsTalk 1400 & 93.9-FM
Illinois Basketball
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Illinois Fighting Illini
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Illinois Men's Basketball
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Thanksgiving
NCAA Basketball
Illinois Fighting Illini Football

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 a Penny open line. Then a Penny reunion, Jane DeLuce, daughter of Jim Turpin, and Deb Stewart, daughter of Larry Stewart, join Loren Tate and Brian to remember the history of the Penny for Your Thoughts program.

Brian Barnhart hosts a Penny open line, then Jaime Morris and Becca Guyette from the Executive Club of Champaign County discuss the upcoming Athena Awards.

Brian Barnhart hosts a Penny open line and Cheryl Mitchell discusses a farm legacy panel discussion coming up at Penfield Historic Farm Days.

Brian Barnhart hosts a Penny open line and Perry Morris from the Champaign County History Museum on the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 2026.

Brian Barnhart hosts an open line in hour #1, then welcomes Diane Ducey to the studio in hour #2 to talk about the Champaign County Freedom Celebration this Saturday.

Brian Barnhart, The Illinois Sportscaster Of the Year, hosts a Penny open line. Jim Dey from The News-Gazette joins The Illinois Sportscaster of the Year in the second hour.

Brian Barnhart hosts Penny. Today Brian is at the National Sports Media Association 66th annual awards program. Guests Include: Wes Durham — Voice of Atlanta Falcons Dave Goren-NSMA executive director Pete Weber — Voice of Nashville Predators Riley C... more

Brian Barnhart hosts Penny. Kathy Reiser joins the program with the Radio Edition of Kathy’s Mailbag. Flashback Friday is Fourth of July Memories.

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Recent Guests

Kathy Reiser
Staff writer / reporter for News Gazette; in-studio guest
News Gazette
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-26-26
Karen York
Guest co-host in Flashback Friday segment
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-26-26
Jeff Sturm
Host of the Tennessee location and companion in the outreach broadcast
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-26-26
Johnny Namoff
Long-time sportscaster and host, survivor of a massive heart attack
Namoff family; former CBS Chicago sports/anchor; now involved with First Tee Greater Chicago
Episode: Penny 6-25-26
Bev Baker
Executive, United Way; former 40 Under 40 recipient
United Way of Champaign County
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-24-26
Joe McCullough
Lieutenant with the U of I Police Department
University of Illinois Police Department
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-23-26
Crystal McCullough
Volunteer chair for the Champaign County Freedom Celebration
Champaign County Freedom Celebration
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-23-26
Jeff Hahn
President of the Tolono Fun Day Committee
Tolono Fun Days
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-22-26
Bob Grogan
Chair of the Illinois Republican Party (newly elected)
Illinois Republican Party
Episode: Penny for Your Thoughts 6-18-26

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 6-23-26
Q: How will the parade route be organized this year?
The route returns to the traditional path starting near the State Farm Center, heading toward Urbana, with the parade steps off at 11:05 and an emphasis on safety, traffic control, and successful coordination with multiple agencies.
Penny for Your Thoughts 6-23-26
Q: What are some of the volunteer opportunities for the Freedom Celebration?
Crystal outlines opportunities including setup on July 3rd, parade marshals, parade walkers, VIP parking, and evening collections, with shifts available and online sign-up at july4th.net.
Penny for Your Thoughts | 6-11-26
Q: How did the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans differ in their vision of government?
The Federalists favored a stronger central government and institutions like a central bank to stabilize the economy, while the Democratic-Republicans preferred states' rights and a smaller federal government, emphasizing agrarian democracy.
Penny for Your Thoughts 6-10-26
Q: What determines whether a juvenile is tried as an adult, and how is the decision made?
The state's attorney evaluates whether to seek transfer to adult court depending on the evidence and the severity of the crime; the judge then uses discretion to decide based on arguments and the evidence presented.
Penny for Your Thoughts 6-2-26
Q: How do political maps and party dynamics influence governance in Illinois?
Vallas discusses gerrymandering and one-party dominance reducing accountability, arguing for more balanced representation and a more open political process to ensure moderates can influence policy.

Audience Metrics

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

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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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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.

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What guests have appeared on Penny For Your Thoughts?

Recent guests on Penny For Your Thoughts include:

1. Kathy Reiser
2. Karen York
3. Jeff Sturm
4. Johnny Namoff
5. Bev Baker
6. Joe McCullough
7. Crystal McCullough
8. Jeff Hahn

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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