Connecticut Public

Our organization was established in 1962 as the Connecticut Educational Television Station, broadcast on station WEDH from the basement of Trinity College Library in Hartford. CPTV was created in 1974 when WEDH formed a network with three other television stations in the state. CT Public Radio signed on in June 1978, and that year joined CPTV to form Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc. For many years, the station aired primarily classical music in between Morning Edition and All Things Considered. It changed to an all-news and information format in 2006. Now, we produce 10-12 daily radio newscasts, four call-in talk shows, and one weekly news magazine show and podcast. In addition to statewide distribution through CT Public platforms, our reporting is shared regionally through the New England News Collaborative (a network of eight public media newsrooms covering the six New England states) and nationally through NPR.

Current Position

Location: Hartford, Connecticut

Beat: The Naugatuck River Valley, especially blue-collar families

Position:

This beat focuses on the Naugatuck River Valley as a place, and on the issues that affect blue collar workers in a state known for its industry but rapidly evolving into high-tech businesses. This regional reporter watches trends in work, workers, and the aging labor force in the valley, while also paying attention to the demographic trends of this strip of the state that leans right while the rest leans left. They're assigned to municipal meeting coverage as well as weekend church carnivals and community gatherings. The goal is to find the many pulses of Naugatuck River Valley through beat reporting that has the potential to zero in on deeply reported accountability stories. Thematically, there are opportunities for the RFA reporter’s work to contribute to our coverage of wealth-based disparities in health and education.

Reporter: Ali Oshinskie