Faith Middleton

Faith Middleton (born 1948) is a Connecticut Public Radio talk show host. She is best known as the host of "The Faith Middleton Show" on Connecticut Public Radio, based at Connecticut Public Radio's studio in New Haven. In addition to her radio work, Faith has hosted and produced several popular television series for Connecticut Public Television; one aired nationally. She has been a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, and has guest-hosted NPR’s Fresh Air with Terri Gross.

Personal life

Faith was born in 1948 in Hartford. Her family moved numerous times over the years due to her mother's work as a secretary and nanny to the nation's richest people. She graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in 1971. An open lesbian, Middleton married Ms. Fern Berman in 2002 and was divorced from her in 2012.

Professional Life

After working as an editor and reporter at the Willimantic Chronicle Manchester Journal-Inquirer and Providence Journal, Middleton became editor-in-chief of Connecticut Magazine. She then moved to Connecticut Public Radio as executive producer of the New Haven studio and co-host of On The Town. In 1982, she got her own show, The Faith Middleton Show, and has been its host and executive producer ever since. Faith is heard in prime time four days a week in Connecticut and parts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York on WNPR.

Faith has been described as “an institution” in her broadcast region. She was named “Best Radio Talk Show Host” in the state by Connecticut Magazine for 11 consecutive years. In 2008, Faith Middleton was named to be a Hall of Fame recipient by Connecticut Magazine. In 2012, Middleton was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.

Faith Middleton has twice received the “Pulitzer” of broadcast journalism, The Peabody Award. Middleton also is a recipient of the Ohio State Award. In May, 2008, Faith received the Mark Twain Award from the Connecticut Press Association and Humanitarian Award from The Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut.

Faith received the Distinguished Public Service Award of The Connecticut Bar Association.

Faith is the author of The Goodness of Ordinary People (Crown Publishing), a book of true stories from her WNPR callers, demonstrating what Faith describes as “the uncelebrated breadth of humanity frequently present in secular life.” Faith describes her work as “a never-ending exploration of the richness of life,” conducting interviews she hopes will enlighten as well as entertain. The subjects include culture, food, sustainability, news, politics, entertainment, poverty, community issues, architecture, work, leisure, design, science, sports, education, religion, history, medicine, humanity, and art.

For many years, she chaired the Celebration of Connecticut Farms along with co-chairs Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Jacques Pepin and Sam Waterston. She has twice co-chaired The Ct. Audubon Society Eagle Festival with Phil Donahue (in 2007 and 2008).

She occasionally writes as a columnist and freelance writer. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Hartford Courant, San Jose Mercury News, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Ms. Magazine, and Connecticut Magazine.

Faith was awarded an honorary doctorate by Charter Oak University and is an Associate Fellow at Yale University, where she taught a class entitled "The Art of the Interview".