By Rosanna Trestman

John Dankosky, host of the NPR morning radio show Where We Live, happens to live just next door in Winsted. From 9 to 10 a.m. each weekday morning he takes his listeners through the ins and outs of Connecticut’s communities, ranging from New Haven to Norfolk and beyond.

Dankosky will bring this expertise to Infinity Hall as moderator of Norfolk 2023!, the symposium set for October 5, which will be hosted by Norfolk Now.

Originally from Pennsylvania’s steel belt, Dankosky studied communications at Duquesne University where he started his career at public radio station WDUQ.

Along with teaching journalism, Dankosky’s lengthy list of credentials includes production of award-winning documentaries, and his talk-show has been honored with several national awards.

In 1994, he and his wife Jen came to Connecticut, choosing to live in Hartford’s West End. When the time came to buy a house, their search took them all the way to Winsted where they found a Victorian farmhouse on a peaceful street. “We liked Winsted right off” he says. “It has hiking, the Gilson theater and is still in reasonable commuting distance to work.”

Where We Live is primarily a show about Connecticut. Themes might include politics, urban planning, a town dispute or human interest stories. Despite the show’s name, topics for discussion sometimes cross state lines, yet the guests and callers are from Connecticut, keeping the show local.

Producing and airing a one-hour call-in radio show is a monumental undertaking, yet somehow Dankosky—who doubles as the news director—and his team of two producers achieve it five days a week.

Dankosky is quick to distinguish the format of Where We Live from commercial talk radio. “In commercial radio the host is central, but we set up the guest to shine through.” Along with the host and guests, the callers equally shape each show, bringing their singular expertise and opinions.

After his long workday, Dankosky drives back to Winsted, often listening to the 7 p.m. rerun of Where We Live on the radio. He makes a mental critique of the show as he returns to the northwest corner, which is where he lives.

Photo courtesy of Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.