Shows / The Fran Spielman Show
The Fran Spielman Show
Join veteran City Hall reporter Fran Spielman as she interviews Chicago’s biggest movers and shakers. Each week, Fran sits down with a local leader, politician or policymaker to get the inside scoop on the latest news in Chicago.
Episodes
The Fran Spielman ShowSecretary of State Jesse White
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by long-time Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to discuss his storied political career ahead of his…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Timmy Knudsen (43rd)
Why does a 32-year-old man insist on being called “Timmy”? Because the name was part of an emotional and potentially high-risk “coming out” process for…
The Fran Spielman ShowRemembering Ramsey Lewis with his son, Rev. Bobby Lewis, and Welz Kauffman, former president and CEO of the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park
Ramsey Lewis, the iconic jazz pianist and composer who went on to become a musical legend and Chicago’s gift to the world, died this week at the age of 87. On…
The Fran Spielman ShowTed Phillips, Chicago Bears President & CEO
The Chicago Bears have had preliminary talks with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, state legislators and village trustees in Arlington Heights about the infrastructure help…
The Fran Spielman ShowMaurice Cox, Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development
Since arriving from Detroit three years ago, Planning and Development Commissioner Maurice Cox has been laser-focused on delivering Lightfoot’s mayor’s…
The Fran Spielman ShowBrandon Johnson
A former teacher and an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson told the Sun-Times he is “humbled by and grateful for the vote of confidence” from…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Sophia King (4th) running for mayor
Ald. Sophia King (4th) said Thursday she will “not be bullied” out of the race for mayor of Chicago by fears that, with seven Black candidates and a diminished…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Tom Tunney (44th)
Zoning Committee Chairman Tom Tunney (44th) told the Sun-Times he plans to take some time off during the August recess before deciding whether to call it quits…
The Fran Spielman ShowFormer Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
One day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled her $2.2 billion plan to keep the Bears at a domed and renovated Soldier Field, former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Matt O’Shea (19th)
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th), whose endorsement of Lori Lightfoot in the 2019 runoff election was pivotal to her landslide victory, said Thursday he will make no…
The Fran Spielman ShowJuanita Irizarry, Executive Director - Friends of the Parks
There’s “not a lot of hope” that Chicago can keep the Bears—even at a domed Soldier Field—but a new “vision” to re-imagine the museum campus can still reclaim…
The Fran Spielman ShowLori Post, PhD | What causes mass shootings?
Lori Post, PhD, the Buehler Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Social Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine joins Sun-Times City Hall reporter…
The Fran Spielman ShowDebriefing Illinois Primary Results | Tina Sfondeles and Dave McKinney
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Sun-Times chief political reporter Tina Sfondeles and WBEZ state politics reporter Dave McKinney to…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Anthony Beale (9th)
The City Council needs to be “turned upside down” — with its own speaker, parliamentarian and attorney and committee chairs it chooses — to end Mayor Lori…
The Fran Spielman ShowHelene Gayle | Departing Chicago Community Trust CEO
During Helene Gayle’s tenure, one of Chicago’s oldest and best-endowed philanthropies unveiled a ten-year strategy to grow household wealth, close the life…
The Fran Spielman ShowFormer Chicago IG Joe Ferguson
Former Inspector General Joe Ferguson is launching a new venture aimed at transforming, what he calls Chicago’s “19th Century machine patronage culture” into a…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Michael Scott Jr. (24th)
In a surprise move, Ald. Michael Scott Jr. (24th), Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s hand-picked Education Committee chairman, is resigning his City Council seat to join…
The Fran Spielman ShowCook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to discuss whether Mayor Lightfoot’s curfew rollback will have an…
The Fran Spielman ShowChicago's casino | Sun-Times reporters Mitch Armentrout and David Roeder
Last week we welcomed Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) to discuss their frustrations with the casino location process. This week we have…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s 11th-hour “switcheroo” to the landmark Medinah Temple as the site for Bally’s temporary casino will make an alarming spike in River…
The Fran Spielman ShowWidows of two CPD officers who died by suicide tell their emotional story
Stacy Escamilla’s husband, Paul, was a Chicago Police officer who suffered in stoic silence before taking his own life. Julie Troglia is the widow of Jeff, who…
The Fran Spielman ShowInspector General Deborah Witzburg
Chicago’s new inspector general said Thursday she has no intention of “staying in her lane” and complained that the process that culminated in her appointment…
The Fran Spielman ShowBill Conway
Bill Conway, the billionaire’s son who finished second in the Democratic primary for state’s attorney, said Thursday he’s being urged to run for mayor by…
The Fran Spielman ShowPaul Vallas
In Round One of the 2019 mayoral sweepstakes, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas finished with 5.43 percent of the vote behind. This time, Vallas…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Nicole Lee (11th)
After decades of broken promises, newly-appointed Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) said Thursday her goal is to deliver the Near South Side high school desperately…
The Fran Spielman ShowDr. Willie Wilson
Millionaire businessman Willie Wilson said Tuesday he will announce April 11 whether or not to reprise his 2019 mayoral campaign against Lori Lightfoot, but…
The Fran Spielman ShowRichard Roeper talks Oscars 2022
Sun-Times entertainment critic Richard Roeper joins City Hall reporter and film enthusiast Fran Spielman to discuss his picks for this year's Academy Awards.
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th)
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez is furious at Lightfoot for granting a tavern license to the Giant Penny Whistle, defying a moratorium along a three-block stretch of…
The Fran Spielman ShowState Rep. Kam Buckner
Mayor Lori Lightfoot “has a personality that a lot of folks don’t like” and it’s getting in the way of solving Chicago’s intransigent problems of violent crime…
The Fran Spielman ShowCEO of Hope Chicago Janice Jackson
A non-profit’s ambitious, $1 billion plan to send thousands of inner-city students and their parents to college or trade school is, ultimately about stopping…
The Fran Spielman ShowDavid Axelrod
Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine could raise gas prices by 50 cents a gallon, infuriating an already angry electorate and making a “hard hand” for…
The Fran Spielman ShowSun-Times' Tim Novak, Mark Brown, and Jon Seidel discuss Patrick Daley Thompson conviction
Jurors Monday took about three-and-a-half hours to find Thompson guilty of two counts of lying to regulators and five counts of filing false federal income tax…
The Fran Spielman ShowJonathan Jackson
Jonathan Jackson, a son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, on Monday kicked off his congressional campaign in the crowded Democratic primary to replace Rep. Bobby Rush…
The Fran Spielman ShowCultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Erin Harkey
Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Erin Harkey acknowledged that Taste of Chicago was once the city’s premier food and fun festival spanning ten…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Mike Rodriguez (22nd)
Little Village Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd) on Thursday applauded the extraordinary level of community cooperation that led police to the two people charged with…
The Fran Spielman ShowCTU VP Stacy Davis Gates
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates wouldn’t say if she’ll challenge Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whom she has said is on a “kamikaze mission to…
The Fran Spielman ShowArne Duncan, founder of Chicago CRED | “Creating Real Economic Destiny"
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by former United States Secretary of Education and former CPS CEO Arne Duncan to discuss violence in…
The Fran Spielman ShowChicago news year in review with Tim Novak and Mark Brown
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by her colleagues Tim Novak and Mark Brown to discuss the biggest stories in 2021 from the fall of Mike…
The Fran Spielman ShowJack Lavin, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
“There’s a sense of no plan. That’s what’s most concerning to the business community,” Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jack Lavin told the…
The Fran Spielman ShowRob Karr, President of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association
Twice in the last month—and as recently as this week— Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Magnificent Mile merchants victimized repeatedly by smash-and-grab robberies…
The Fran Spielman ShowIllinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris
Greg Harris reminisced about his career as the first openly gay member of the legislative leadership team and about how much it has been shaped by the fact…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. George Cardenas (12th)
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s City Council floor leader Ald. George Cardenas (12th) to discuss his plan to…
The Fran Spielman ShowWard remapping | Consultants to City Council's Hispanic Caucus Victor Reyes and Burt Odelson
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Victor Reyes and Burt Odelson to discuss the current state of Chicago's ward map and what changes are…
The Fran Spielman ShowCivic Federation president Laurence Msall
As the head of Chicago’s foremost taxpayer watchdog group, Laurence Msall might be expected to urge fiscal caution. But Msall said losing the Bears would be a…
The Fran Spielman ShowInterim Chicago Park District Chief Rosa Escareno
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman and investigative reporter Lauren FitzPatrick are joined by Interim General Superintendent & Chief Executive Officer…
The Fran Spielman ShowStreets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Cole Stallard, a Streets and Sanitation “lifer” who worked his way up through the ranks and earned the…
The Fran Spielman ShowSun-Times editorial page editor Tom McNamee
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by her colleague, retiring editorial page editor Tom McNamee, to discuss his 40 year career in journalism…
The Fran Spielman ShowCPS CEO Pedro Martinez, analysis with Nader Issa
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to discuss his vision for the job including community outreach, school closures…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Gilbert Villegas (36th)
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), chairman of the City Council’s Hispanic Caucus and Mayor Lori Lightfoot's former floor leader, said 5,000 of Chicago’s neediest…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Jason Ervin (28th)
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, who said he expects Mayor…
The Fran Spielman ShowRick Telander | Chicago Bears season preview
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by sports columnist Rick Telander to preview the upcoming Chicago Bears season.
The Fran Spielman ShowChicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin to discuss her determination to reverse lending…
The Fran Spielman ShowJoe Weisberg, ex-CIA officer and Creator, Executive Producer of FX's 'The Americans'
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Joe Weisberg, the Emmy award-winning creator and executive producer of FX's 'The Americans' to discuss…
The Fran Spielman ShowWorld Business Chicago CEO Michael Fassnacht
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by World Business Chicago CEO and Chicago's Chief Marketing Officer Michael Fassnacht to discuss his…
The Fran Spielman ShowChief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett & Budget Director Susie Park
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Chicago's Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett & Budget Director Susie Park to discuss the most…
The Fran Spielman ShowBill Cameron to retire after 51 years in journalism
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by her colleague and fellow WLS-AM City Hall reporter Bill Cameron to discuss his storied career covering…
The Fran Spielman ShowPaul Vallas
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by multi-hyphenate Paul Vallas to discuss his involvement with negotiating the long-awaited FOP contract…
The Fran Spielman ShowAld. Roderick Sawyer (6th)
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) to discuss the passing of the civilian police oversight ordinance and what…
The Fran Spielman ShowRosa Escareno returns | Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Commissioner
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by exiting Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno as they…
The Fran Spielman ShowFire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt
Sun-Times City Hall reporter Fran Spielman is joined by newly-appointed fire commissioner Annette Nance-Holt to discuss her plan to add to smaller vehicles for…