CLEVELAND — WKYC's Stephanie Haney and Mike Polk Jr. are launching a new streaming show and podcast to help inform Ohio voters leading up to the November election.
Premiering on Feb. 1, Ohio Has Issues is a multi-platform interview show focused on politics, elections and statewide issues affecting all Ohioans.
Each week, viewers and listeners of Ohio Has Issues will hear directly from experts discussing current state-wide issues, the organizers behind what we expect to see on Ohio's November ballot, elected officials on both sides of the aisle and the candidates who hope to represent Ohioans in public office.
The first episode features former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, focusing on the messy reality of Ohio's voting districts which O'Connor's court ruled were unconstitutionally gerrymandered. O'Connor, a Republican who retired from the bench in 2022 due to the state constitution's age limit, will talk about the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment initiative, which seeks to give citizens as opposed to politicians the power to draw our voting districts.
To help voters decide how to cast their ballots, Stephanie and Mike will also check in with reporters who are on the ground covering politics in our state from news organizations like WKYC, Signal Cleveland, the Ohio Capital Journal and more. The premiere episode features Plain Dealer political reporter Andrew Tobias, giving a recap of the stories he's been working on from Ohio's state capital in Columbus.
Ohio Has Issues is recorded in Cleveland, out of WKYC Studios. New episodes will stream live every Wednesday night at 7:30 PM on the WKYC YouTube page and the WKYC+ streaming app. Ohio Has Issues is also available wherever you listen to podcasts, with episodes dropping after the livestreamed recording sessions end.
Stephanie is the digital anchor and legal analyst at WKYC. She is licensed to practice law in both Ohio and California.
Mike is an anchor, commentator and editorialist at WKYC. Mike co-hosts Front Row Friday with Laura Caso, which airs every Friday at 7 PM on 3News and on WKYC+.
