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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AI data centers are popping up all over the country, including in Boston and New York. Is Connecticut next? -
Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis, a former state school construction official, fled to Greece ahead of his Sept. 17 sentencing for a conviction on 21 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and lying to federal investigators. -
Holding free and fair elections is fundamental to democracy, but ahead of the midterms, Americans are concerned about election security. With President Donald Trump's attempts to restrict mail-in voting, can voters feel confident that every vote counts? -
We continue dissecting primary results ahead of November’s midterms – this time – to better understand Connecticut voters. Local officials on both sides discuss what Democrats might do to stay in power and what Republicans would need to do to gain it. -
Primary voters across the country are sending signals about what they want from both political parties . This hour, we look at the races, voters, and political trends shaping the midterm elections in November. -
As America marks its 250th anniversary, who gets to decide which stories become part of the nation’s history? We explore how Black Americans are reclaiming, uncovering and sharing perspectives that have too often been left out of the American story. -
Ahead of the contentious midterm elections, The Wheelhouse revisits a conversation with social psychologist Kurt Gray about why our political views divide us in the first place. -
What are the ramifications for college students, graduate students and even American taxpayers now that the federal government has reduced student loan programs ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year? -
U.S. Rep. John Larson, who has served Connecticut's 1st Congressional District for nearly 30 years, lost the Democratic primary to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who said it was time for new leadership and a fresh perspective in Washington. -
With one week to go until the Aug. 11 primary, hear from incumbent John Larson and challengers Luke Bronin, Ruth Fortune and Jillian Gilchrest in the four-way race for Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District.
