Focus

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.

Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed
David Thiel

Downton Abbey: Portraying Post-Edwardian Life

Are you a Downton fan? What did you think of season 4? Today on Focus, we’ll talk about the show and why it has captivated millions of viewers. Historian Sharon Michalove also joins us to talk about how realistic the show’s depiction of Post- Edwardian life is. 

Dr. Danielle Ofri

Encore: What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine

Have you ever had a moment at work when you were so overwhelmed by how you felt, either for personal reasons or because of something that happened at work that it was hard for you to function? This hour on Focus, we'll listen back to a conversation about the intersection between human emotion, medicine and patient care with medical doctor Danielle Ofri.

book cover

Flyover Lives

Do you have a sense of your own history? What stereotypes about the Midwest do you agree or disagree with? Today on Focus, Lisa Bralts talks with Diane Johnson about her new memoir “Flyover Lives.” 

Encore: The Lost Region

According to historian and author Jon Lauck, in comparison to the South, the far West and New England, the history of the American Midwest has been far overlooked in its importance. This hour on Focus, he talks with host Jim Meadows.