Randy Eccles
General Manager, NPR Illinois/ Co-Host, Community Voices/ CAB Ex-OfficioSpringfield
Please reach out at randy.eccles@nprillinois.org.
Randy Eccles became NPR Illinois general manager in 2013 after serving as development director since moving to Springfield in 2008. Randy served on the Governor's Local Journalism Task Force 2023-2024.
Randy currently serves as the president of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council – the association for all public media organizations in Illinois.
Randy previously worked at KTAR in Phoenix and WGN in Chicago in programming and marketing management after producing talk shows and sports coverage. He also served in management and news stints at student-run stations WHFH, WONC, and WUEV.
Born in Hinsdale, he was raised by teachers in south suburban Glenwood and graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, then North Central College in Naperville. Randy also spent a lot of time at the family farm in Industry, Illinois (south of Macomb).
Randy served on the Springfield Area Arts Council board and was awarded the best of show in the Springfield Art Association's 2023 Art Synergy program in a collaboration with professional artist Alissa Ohashi.
Randy co-hosts Community Voices and its music-focused edition, CV-X, Saturdays 5 to 7 p.m.
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Maritza Bandera, Healing Illinois program manager, Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), joins Community Voices to share how this grant program works to increase equity, understanding, and engagement between all races in Illinois. -
Lauren Gleason, volunteer coordinator, Illinois State Historic Sites; and Jenn Edginton, interim director, Illinois State Museum joined Community Voices to provide more information about the Illinois History Day experience for students and volunteers. Judges and other volunteers to facilitate the event are still needed. -
Lance Tawzer is the Director of Exhibits and Shows at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. His love of music led to his start in Material Issue then The Lupins, to museums, and now to Petersburg and the ALPLM where he brought it all together for the highly attended State of Sound exhibit. -
With the shrinking media landscape, many communities are underrepresented in the media. To hear from these communities, NPR Illinois hosts an event called LISTEN. The Petersburg, Ill. community was chosen for the March LISTEN event and with the help of Broadgauge, a local restaurant and event space, NPR Illinois spoke to several area residents and learned about the joys, challenges and media usage in the community. Community Voices co-hosts Vanessa Ferguson and Randy Eccles listen back to the event recording and provide analysis of the topics discussed. LISTEN in Petersburg was funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. -
Daniel Donato relates how he started in Nashville and interprets music into Cosmic Country. He currently is on the national Americana charts and plays Danenberger Family Vineyards March 23, 2024. -
The second of two special Citizens Club of Springfield forums with area residents sharing their experiences moving to Springfield after starting in another country along with a brief history of immigration policy. -
Steve Drummond and Janet Woojeong Lee from NPR's Education Desk join Community Voices to discuss the opportunity of NPR's 2024 Student Podcast Challenge including past winners and tips for entries. -
Randy Hultgren, president and CEO, Illinois Bankers Association, shared how financial literacy can make navigating the current economy safer. He also reflects on his time as a U.S. and Illinois state representative and the challenges of today's political partisanship. He is enjoying the move from the Chicago suburbs to Springfield for his current position. -
A special Citizens Club of Springfield series with area residents sharing their experiences moving to Springfield after starting in another country. -
Local Drags is Lanny Durbin's creative local music project. Listen to the interview to hear what is on the horizon.
