Phil Ponce is the host of Chicago Tonight, one of the few hourlong interview programs in public television. Born in McAllen, Texas, he worked in Washington D.C., with Texas newsman Jim Lehrer early in his career. He has been the host of Chicago Tonight on WTTW since the late 1990s.
On his visit to Marfa, he appeared on the Talk At Ten program on KRTS with one of the hosts, Tom Michael. The interview focused on issues bedeviling Chicago (education and crime), the secrets of a good interview, and a survey of national political figures from Chicago: from President Barack Obama and mayor Rahm Emmanuel, to disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. We also examined the polite way to make guests behave during an interview. Ponce also admitted he chooses the White Sox over the Cubs in professional baseball.
