During each Eight Forty-Eight, host Steve Edwards and a team of producers, contributors, and writers set out to capture the many voices and views of the Chicago region. Eight Forty-Eight features Chicago Public Radio's news reporters and music hosts as well as contributors who specialize in various topics. These topics range from politics to the arts, science to sports, and everything in between.

Artist David Klamen, left, and fashion designer Cat Chow, right, listen as art critic James Yood talks.

Chicago Magazine's August 2003 “Best of Chicago” issue honors Eight Forty-Eight as Chicago's Best Public Affairs Programming. New City named Eight Forty-Eight Chicago's Best Morning Radio Program and writes, “WBEZ's Steve Edwards is among the best of an increasingly dwindling number of on-air hosts who actually care about and devote substantial portions of their shows to local issues, places, people, and obscurata...Edwards sticks to his guns and to his faith in the city's stories, be they large or small, funny, terrible, vexing, or impenetrable.”

In 2000 the Public Radio News Directors (PRNDI) voted The Best of Eight Forty-Eight Best Local Weekly Program in the U.S.

 

	L to R: Former producer Teshima Walker, Former Producer Andrea DeFotis, current contributor Richard Steele.

“...Eight Forty-Eight takes on public issues, arts, dining, sports—anything with a Chicago-area bent—with multifaceted intelligence and verve” —Chicago Magazine, September 2004

“It's in the spaces between the NPR standards like All Things Considered and Fresh Air that WBEZ (91.5 FM) earns its reputation. The staff gives an in-depth, Chicago spin to the morning news, and [the] locally produced weekly morning show Eight Forty-Eight is packed with an engrossing, magazine-like mix of topics.” —CitySearch.com

“Steve Edwards quietly has the best book discussions to be found anywhere on the radio dial.There's no better place to listen to authors and publishers talk shop than on Eight Forty-Eight”— New City “Lit 5,” June 2003

Eight Forty-Eight Staff pictured in 2000 ; L to R: Richard Steele, Cate Cahan, Sara Sobiech-Johnson, Tish Valva, Teshima Walker, Justin Kaufmann, Gianofer Fields, Steve Edwards, and Matt Cunningham.