Frankie Graziano
Host / Producer, The WheelhouseAs the host of The Wheelhouse on Connecticut Public, Frankie focuses on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.
For more than 100 episodes, Graziano’s brought the politics to the people, tackling issues like the attempted erasure of transgender identity and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The hallmark of The Wheelhouse’s run during Graziano’s tenure as host was election coverage in 2024. The team, which includes producer Chloe Wynne and deputy director of storytelling at Connecticut Public Robyn Doyon-Aitken, responded to breaking developments out of Washington D.C., launched an open-ended survey to reach its audience, held forums to introduce candidates to the people, and broadcast live on Election Night and The Morning After.
CT Public’s newest iteration of The Wheelhouse debuted on March 22, 2023, marking the latest evolution in Graziano’s career in broadcast journalism.
It began in production when Connecticut Public hired Graziano to launch its new sports network in 2011. He produced over 1,000 hours of content for CPTV Sports until 2016, when he moved from public television to public radio. After crafting a public radio sports beat, he worked with leadership in 2017 to develop breaking news coverage at Connecticut Public. Graziano followed police reform efforts, chased politicians around, and broke national news.
Graziano’s entrée into political coverage was cemented in 2022 after hosting a series of debate recaps on television and several roundtables on local government.
His entire career–and his entire life– have unfolded in Connecticut. Graziano lives with his wife Colleen, a nurse practitioner, in Glastonbury. They’ve got two kids—Charlie and Annie.
Graziano, a UConn grad, is originally from Torrington. He’s a first-generation Italian-American—his parents Rosie and Franco were born in Italia.
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A majority of local lawmakers opted to pay for Medicaid and more over preserving surplus funds. The minority reacts. Plus, how did our state representatives and senators address climate change? -
After months of hand-wringing over potential federal budget cuts and calls to breach the state’s “fiscal guardrails”, Connecticut lawmakers come closer to certainty as they reach the end-of-session-finish line. -
State lawmakers are foregoing budget caps to fund Medicaid. How might President Trump’s tax proposal, which calls for cuts to Medicaid, impact recipients in Connecticut and beyond? -
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis five years ago, Connecticut enacted landmark police reform. This hour, what’s stuck, and what still needs to be done to protect Black lives? -
Enrollment is falling, budgets are shrinking, and higher education is on shaky ground. This hour, we ask questions about the future of colleges and universities, from national trends to what's brewing in Connecticut. -
Experts parse out Pew Research Data about trust in government from the 1950s to today. That empirical data is one way to find out what people think about U.S. politics. There’s also the lived experience of everyday Americans. -
From rolling back access to healthcare to removing the “X” gender option on passports, the Trump administration is rejecting trans identity. What’s being done about it and what Connecticut’s trans community needs to know. -
Can local lawmakers improve energy infrastructure and save ratepayers money? Plus, the bears are back–outta hibernation. How are state environmental officials reacting? -
Protests against the Trump administration are ramping up. In this hour, as people in Connecticut and beyond yell, “hands off,” we discuss who’s rising up and what they want. -
State officials are sounding the alarm after the federal government cut $150 million dollars in public health grants. This hour looks at what that means for tracking diseases, childhood vaccinations, and more in Connecticut.
