Focus, or Focus 580, was WILL Radio's flagship talk program from 1981 until 2014. David Inge was the host from 1981 until his retirement in 2012. Always engaging, the program acted as a resource for citizens to directly question politicians and candidates as well as keep up on the arts, science, health, and even the latest from well-known novelists.
The Focus archive below offers thousands of great interviews and serves as a time capsule and a great resource for researchers and those just curious about how influential people spoke of important topics as they were happening.
This hour on Focus, we’ll hear a documentary produced by University Laboratory High School and WILL, “From the Frontlines to the Home Front: Inside View of the Military 1940-2012.”
This hour on Focus, we’ll talk with horticulture expert Sandy Mason and Karen Geiser, a market gardener, about extending the growing season and eating fresh and local during the winter months. We welcome your calls and questions this hour on Focus!
What defines a super hero? This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Bill Rosemann, editor at Marvel comics and Mark Hughes, film critic for Forbes, about the rise of the super hero on and off the page.
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What will cities look like in 10 years? According to architect Michael Sorkin, they'll look how we want them to...
Do you keep backyard chickens? If you can’t, would you like to?
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If you own a pet, you understand the emotional bond that can form between a dog and its owner. This hour on focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván about his book “Until Tuesday.”
You’ve already heard his voice … even if you didn’t know it. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with the former “voice of NPR,” Frank Tavares, about being a somewhat of a disembodied celebrity and about his new book “The Man Who Built Boxes.”
This hour on Focus, we’ll hear from Brenda Koenig, founder of the Champaign-Urbana Folk and Roots Festival. Then we’ll check back in with musician and author Stephen Wade and talk with him about going back to the communities where he researched his book “The Beautiful Music All Around Us.”
This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Tim Yoder, the former host of PBS Create’s “Woodworking Workshop with Tim Yoder,” and Mike Van Pelt of the CU Woodshop.
This hour on Focus, we’ll take a closer look at chronic wasting disease and how Illinois manages disease epidemics in its wildlife populations.
