Illinois Public Media

Arts and Culture

A photograph of a bicycle on the Illinois Prairie Path, which is part of the Grand Illinois Trail (inset map).

Biking 500 miles on the Grand Illinois Trail

 The Grand Illinois Trail aims to connect Northern Illinois by bicycle. It spans more than 500 miles, from Chicago to the Quad Cities and back. And after 30 years of planning, it’s almost done. “The 21st Show” talks with Sara Egan of Openlands, which is pushing to get the project across the finish line.
IPM Newsroom
Announcing the performance by Kindred the Family Soul for Illinois Soul's third anniversary celebration
Illinois Classical
Illinois Classical 90.9

Your home for Classical and more in Central Illinois.
Evening Concert

The Evening Concert on Illinois Classical
Music by Mozart, Schumann, Teresa Carreño, Britten, William Schuman, Bartok, Poulenc, Saint-Saens, and others
Dialogue
man speaking and Obama Presidential Center

Get a sneak peak of the new Obama Presidential Center, then listen his 2004 interview with WILL-radio
IPM's Reginald Hardwick leads you on a tour of the grounds of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Then we listen to then-State Sen. Obama on WILL-AM.
The 21st Show
The top of the 8-story Obama Presidential Museum includes a quote from President Barack Obama during his visit to Selma, Alabama.

A sneak peek of the Obama Presidential Center
In just a few weeks, the Barack Obama Presidential Center will be opening in Chicago. We’ll talk about what’s inside with a journalist who got to tour the museum last month.
The 21st Show

Illinois General Assembly spring session recap
The Illinois General Assembly has wrapped up its spring session. A statehouse reporter discusses the results of the session.
The 21st Show

How do location sharing apps impact relationships?
Apps that let people share their locations with friends and loved ones have become quite common. A researcher who’s been studying how they affect relationships shares more…
Prairie Fire

Prairie Fire: Season 3 - Episode 7 - May 2026
For this month's Prairie Fire, students from the University of Illinois’ College of Media spent a semester producing five short documentaries highlighting food, skating,…
News Local/State
man sitting at computer

Behind The Mic:  Newsroom editor Arjun Thakkar thinks public media is integral in combatting information overload
At Illinois Public Media, Arjun Thakkar helps reporters with story pitches, sources, and final editing, and sometimes reports stories himself.
State of Change

Small gestures to make a big difference in preserving our planet
We visit a zero-waste general store, a garden bringing a community together in a Chicago food desert, a program protecting pollinators, and advice to increase sustainability…