Lisa Dent

Lou Manfredini joins Lisa Dent, for Lou’s To Do List, sponsored by Perma-Seal. Lou answers any questions you have about projects on your to-do lists.

Daniel Biss, Mayor of Evanston, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the indictment of congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, along with five other Chicago politicians. Mayor Biss, who is running against Abughazaleh for the 9th district congressional seat, protested alongside her and others at the Broadview ICE facility since the onset of “Operation Midway Blitz.” He criticizes the indictment, saying the Trump administration is, “trying to intimidate those of us who are outraged by what they are doing.”

Cameron Crowe, American filmmaker and journalist, joins Lisa Dent to discuss his new book Uncool. Crowe, known best for films like “Almost Famous,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Say Anything,” will embark on a limited 7-city book tour. His stop in Chicago features John Cusack on stage with Crowe. His show takes place at the Athenaeum Center on November 1st.

Kat Abughazaleh, congressional candidate running for 9th District Representative, joins Lisa Dent to discuss her and other politicians being charged in a conspiracy indictment tied to Broadview protests. She answers questions and how she plans to fight the charges and intends to stay in the race for the 9th congressional seat.

Pat Brady, former chairman for the Illinois Republican Party and a former federal and state prosecutor, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the latest political stories. Brady congratulates Steve Bertrand on his retirement and shares some memories over the years. Then, Brady shares his thoughts on the public transit funding ‘crisis’ in Illinois. He offers his view on whether Illinois redistricting would be beneficial for the democrats, and reacts to news that Kat Abughazaleh, Congressional Candidate running for 9th District Representative, has been indicted by the federal government.

Lisa Dent checks in with the newsroom to hear their stories.

Catherine Lynott, Executive Director of the Outreach House, joins Lisa Dent to discuss how food banks, Outreach House specifically, are preparing for SNAP benefits being suspended. Lynott shares how Outreach House is accommodating people who are struggling to put food on the table.

After 40 years of invaluable contributions, Steve Bertrand is signing off on a remarkable career, and we are honored to celebrate his retirement! He announced on-air that his last day on the radio will be November 13th.

A trusted voice in the newsroom, Bertrand recently celebrated his 40th Anniversary with WGN Radio this past June. He is known for his quick-witted commentary. He has hosted several shows and anchored news on nearly every part of the clock during his tenure.  

“From joining  WGN Radio in 1985 during the Wally Phillips era to anchoring news on the Lisa Dent Show today, throughout his 40 eventful years here Steve has faithfully maintained the highest standards of journalistic integrity, combined with his own unique gift for playful on air banter which is sure to be  missed by colleagues and listeners alike,” said WGN Radio Vice President and General Manager Mary Sandberg Boyle.

Raised in Manteno, Illinois and a Marquette University graduate, Bertrand started at WGN Radio as an intern and hired full-time in 1985. He has been in the news anchor chair since 1992, working with legendary WGN names including Wally Phillips, Roy Leonard, Spike O’Dell and Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey. With the latter, he brought a unique blend of banter and insight to the conversation of the duo known as “The Girlfriends.”

“I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the history of radio. As a kid, I dreamed of one day living in Chicago. I never imagined I’d be part of her daily conversation,” said Steve Bertrand. “I will forever be grateful to the legends I worked with and, most especially, the listeners who made it all happen. I’ve had the privilege of being part of a pretty amazing family for 40 years.”

“Our loss is Steve’s (and his family’s) gain.  But, boy are we gonna miss him.  He has been the stable, warm and wise voice for Chicago radio for so many years.  If he’ll no longer talk on our shows, I hope he’ll call in.  Chicago needs more Steve Bertrands,” said WGN Radio host John Williams.

Bertrand spent six years on the road with the Chicago Bears when WGN Radio was the flagship for the team, producing play-by-play broadcasts, hosting pre- and post-game shows and interviewing Coach Mike Ditka live from the locker room.

A few of the more notable news stories Bertrand has covered over the past four decades include the death of Mayor Harold Washington, the Plainfield tornado of 1990, Al Gore’s decision not to concede on election night in 2000, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has received several awards and gained a national reputation for interviewing top authors.  

• Dave Eanet and longtime teammate Steve Bertrand. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Angelina Gear and Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand with Ron Santo at the 2005 JDRF Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes
• Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand at the anchor desk in the WGN Radio studios at Tribune Tower
• The WGN Radio News Team in the 1980’s. Pictured (l-r) top row – Steve Bertrand, Rod Sierra, Wes Bleed, Kathy Worthington, Jan Coleman, Dick Sutliff, Gene Dorretti middle row – Judy Pielach, Dave Stewart, Lyle Dean. front row – Tom Petersen, Dave Ellsworth.
• L to R: Hub Arkush, Spike O’Dell, David Kaplan, Steve Bertrand. (WGN Radio)
• Lisa Dent, former Bear Richard Dent, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Powell
• Richard Roeper, Lisa Dent, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Powell
• Richard Roeper, Lisa Dent, Kevin Powell, Steve Bertrand
• I Care International trip to Guatemala, March 2025 (Steve Bertrand / WGN Radio)
• Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Steve Bertrand in the WGN Radio Showcase Studio (WGN Radio photo)
• Steve Bertrand with cake.
• Steve Bertrand, Clay Jenkinson and John Williams, November 2024. (M. Wells/WGN Radio)
• Steve Bertrand and a Bears beanie babie
• Bob Kessler, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Wells (Lisa Dent / WGN Radio)
• From the newsroom: Steve Bertrand, Steve Grzanich and Don Kleppin (S. Tieman/WGN Radio)
• John Williams and Steve Bertrand
• Dennis Quaid joins Steve Bertrand

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, 8th District, joins Lisa Dent to discuss various current events. Rep. Krishnamoorthi shares his opinion of President Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. He warns of the damage that will be dealt by the lack of SNAP funding and gives the latest of the government shutdown.

Last month, Aurora Mayor John Laesch joined the show to share that Aurora had put a pause on any new data centers in Aurora. He emphasized a need to accommodate the people of Aurora while holding the companies that are building data centers accountable for increased costs. Mayor Laesch joined Lisa Dent to share updates to Aurora’s moratorium on data centers. He shares that the data centers were previously being zoned as a warehouse designation. As the city is working to develop proper zoning for data centers, guardrails to address the grievances that residents of Aurora had, Mayor Laesh reports that further guidelines for data centers from the state of Illinois is expected next spring.