WASHINGTON, D.C — “Stories From The States,” the weekly podcast produced by States Newsroom, is making its radio debut. In a new partnership with Heartland Signal, the 30-minute deep dive into current news issues will air on AM950 in Minnesota and on WCPT in Chicago, starting Aug. 16.
States Newsroom launched “Stories From The States” in November 2025 as an audio extension of its award-winning journalism that focuses on government and policy coverage from all 50 state capitals. Each episode explores, through personal stories, how people across the U.S. are responding to sweeping policy changes — all with the goal of figuring out what it means for listeners, their families and their communities.
Hosted by broadcast news veteran and States Newsroom publisher Chris Fitzsimon and produced by Mallory Cheng, each show opens with a look at the week’s biggest news stories before focusing on a single issue. Fitzsimon introduces listeners to experts, community members and the news network’s state-focused journalists who can provide nuance to stories that are dominating the headlines.
Heartland Signal, which already taps States Newsroom’s journalists and news coverage regularly on its local programming and website, will air “Stories From The States” on this schedule:
Heartland Signal will also stream the program on the Heartland Signal website, TuneIn, and smart speakers.
“We have more than 200 journalists uncovering stories about how government policy affects people’s lives,” Fitzsimon said. “This show is a way to dig in on those issues and help listeners understand what’s going on. Broadcasting on Heartland Signal will be a great way to reach audiences who are craving fair, accurate reporting right now.”
Among the 40 episodes to date, “Stories From The States” has featured discussions on such topics as data centers, school vouchers, SNAP work requirements, public land use and immigration enforcement.
Heartland Signal, which reaches approximately 100,000 listeners in the Twin Cities and 120,000 listeners in the Chicago region, is a talk radio network and digital newsroom focused on state and local issues.
“Washington gets the headlines, but it’s actually the states making the decisions that shape our daily lives,” said Rodney Gibbs, Heartland Signal’s executive director. “‘Stories From The States’ shares that conviction, and we’re delighted to give it a home on our stations.”
“Stories From The States” will continue to be produced entirely by States Newsroom and available online at Apple Podcasts, YouTube podcasts and Spotify. Episodes also are available at the “Stories From The States” website.
About Heartland Signal:
Heartland Signal covers the state-level decisions that rarely make national headlines but shape how people live — from elections and education to the environment and healthcare. A digital newsroom working hand in hand with its radio stations — WCPT 820 AM in Chicago and AM950 in the Twin Cities — Heartland Signal pairs the stations’ trusted local voices with original reporting and social video to reach audiences across the country.
About WCPT Chicago:
WCPT 820 AM is Chicago’s home for progressive talk radio and the anchor station of the Heartland Signal network. Every day, WCPT airs live shows hosted by veteran journalists and civic leaders — including longtime Chicago broadcaster Joan Esposito and former Chicago alderman and Chicago Sun-Times CEO Edwin Eisendrath — bringing elected officials, activists, authors and listeners into conversation about city, state and national politics. WCPT’s programs air across the Heartland Signal network and on stations around the country.
About AM950 Radio Twin Cities:
AM950 Radio delivers programming that reflects what matters to Minnesotans. Known for progressive talk, the station’s lineup goes well beyond politics — with shows on food, the arts, advocacy, the LGBTQ+ community, the paranormal, aging, healthy living, Native American news, recovery and personal finance, along with conversations with artists, musicians and creators. AM950 exists to amplify the voices of underrepresented, underserved and diverse communities across Minnesota and beyond, and is part of the Heartland Signal network.
About States Newsroom:
States Newsroom is the nation’s largest nonprofit news organization. We shine a light on policy and politics in state capitals around the nation and we provide that coverage for free. In an era of rampant disinformation and news deserts, we provide nonpartisan coverage of the state issues that most affect people’s daily lives.
Leading studies cite States Newsroom as key to filling the void in coverage left by staffing cuts at legacy media outlets. According to one study, the overall percentage of reporters working for nonprofit newsrooms in the statehouse press corps has more than tripled since 2014 and now makes up the largest portion of statehouse reporters in 10 states and the second largest in 17 states.
We run — or partner with — news outlets in all 50 state capitals.
We fully fund newsrooms in 39 states, each with its own website. They are:
Alabama Reflector – alabamareflector.com
Alaska Beacon – alaskabeacon.com
Arizona Mirror – azmirror.com
Arkansas Advocate – arkansasadvocate.com
Colorado Newsline – coloradonewsline.com
Florida Phoenix – floridaphoenix.com
Georgia Recorder – georgiarecorder.com
Idaho Capital Sun – idahocapitalsun.com
Indiana Capital Chronicle – indianacapitalchronicle.com
Iowa Capital Dispatch – iowacapitaldispatch.com
Kansas Reflector – kansasreflector.com
Kentucky Lantern – kentuckylantern.com
Louisiana Illuminator – lailluminator.com
Maine Morning Star – mainemorningstar.com
Maryland Matters – marylandmatters.org
Michigan Advance – michiganadvance.com
Minnesota Reformer – minnesotareformer.com
Missouri Independent – missouriindependent.com
Daily Montanan – dailymontanan.com
Nebraska Examiner – nebraskaexaminer.com
Nevada Current – nevadacurrent.com
New Hampshire Bulletin – newhampshirebulletin.com
New Jersey Monitor – newjerseymonitor.com
Source New Mexico – sourcenm.com
NC Newsline – ncnewsline.com
North Dakota Monitor – northdakotamonitor.com
Ohio Capital Journal – ohiocapitaljournal.com
Oklahoma Voice – oklahomavoice.com
Oregon Capital Chronicle – oregoncapitalchronicle.com
Pennsylvania Capital-Star – penncapital-star.com
Rhode Island Current – rhodeislandcurrent.com
South Carolina Daily Gazette – scdailygazette.com
South Dakota Searchlight – southdakotasearchlight.com
Stateline – stateline.org
Tennessee Lookout – tennesseelookout.com
Utah News Dispatch – utahnewsdispatch.com
Virginia Mercury – virginiamercury.com
Washington State Standard – washingtonstatestandard.com
West Virginia Watch – westvirginiawatch.com
Wisconsin Examiner – wisconsinexaminer.com
States Newsroom also has content-sharing agreements with 11 leading nonprofit newsrooms: CalMatters (California), Connecticut Mirror, Spotlight Delaware, Honolulu Civil Beat, Capitol News Illinois, CommonWealth Beacon (Massachusetts), Mississippi Today, New York Focus, The Texas Tribune, VTDigger (Vermont) and WyoFile (Wyoming).
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