Faith Middleton (born 1948) is a retired public radio talk show host. She is best known as the former host of ''The Faith Middleton Show'' on
Connecticut Public Radio
Connecticut Public Radio is a network of public radio stations in the state of Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and eastern Long Island, affiliated with NPR (National Public Radio). It is owned by Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, whi ...
.
In addition to her radio work, Faith hosted and produced several popular television series for Connecticut Public Television; one aired nationally. She was a regular contributor to NPR’s ''All Things Considered'', ''Morning Edition'', and ''Weekend Edition'', and guest hosted NPR’s ''
Fresh Air
''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...
'' with
Terry Gross
Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining N ...
.
Personal life
Middleton was born in 1948 in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
. Her family moved numerous times over the years, due to her mother's work as a secretary and nanny to some of the nation's wealthiest families. Middleton graduated from
Eastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University (Eastern, Eastern Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut State, or ECSU) is a public liberal arts university in Willimantic, Connecticut. Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State Un ...
in 1971. An
open
Open or OPEN may refer to:
Music
* Open (band), Australian pop/rock band
* The Open (band), English indie rock band
* ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969
* ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999
* ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001
* ''Open'' ( ...
lesbian, she celebrated her relationship with Fern Berman with a commitment ceremony in 2002, but the couple divorced in 2012.
Professional life
After working as an editor and reporter at the ''
Willimantic Chronicle,'' ''
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
Journal-Inquirer,'' and ''
Providence Journal
''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...
,'' Middleton became editor-in-chief of ''
Connecticut Magazine
''Connecticut Magazine'' is an American monthly magazine covering the life, culture, politics, and style of the state of Connecticut. Founded in 1971, it was purchased in 2017 by the Hearst Corporation. It is a sister magazine of ''Connecticut Br ...
.'' She then moved to Connecticut Public Radio as cohost of ''On The Town.''
In 1982, she started her own daily talk show, ''The Faith Middleton Show,'' and was its host and executive producer. In October 2015, Middleton's daily show ended, and she downscaled to producing only a weekly food show,
The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze'' ''The Food Schmooze'' ended its run in November 2019.
Middleton was named “Best Radio Talk Show Host” in the state by ''Connecticut Magazine'' for eleven consecutive years. In 2008, Faith Middleton was named a Hall of Fame recipient by ''Connecticut Magazine''. In 2012, Middleton was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.
Faith Middleton twice received the
George Foster Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
. She also received the Ohio State Award, the Mark Twain Award from the Connecticut Press Association, a Humanitarian Award from The Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut, and the Distinguished Public Service Award of The Connecticut Bar Association.
Middleton is the author of ''The Goodness of Ordinary People'', a book of true stories from her WNPR callers, demonstrating what she describes as “the uncelebrated breadth of humanity frequently present in secular life.”
Middleton described her work as “a never-ending exploration of the richness of life,” conducting interviews she hoped would enlighten as well as entertain. The subjects included 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 twice co-chaired The Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival with Phil Donahue.
She occasionally wrote 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''.
Middleton was awarded an honorary doctorate by Charter Oak University and was an Associate Fellow at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, where she taught a class called The Art of the Interview.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Faith
1948 births
Living people
Radio personalities from Connecticut
People from Hartford, Connecticut
Eastern Connecticut State University alumni
American LGBT broadcasters
American LGBT journalists