FRESH AIR

About the Show

Hosted by Terry Gross, Fresh Air is one of the most popular programs on public radio. Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues, it pushes the “talk show” boundaries through insightful interviews with authors, artists, TV writers, historians, musicians, scientists, filmmakers, politicians, actors, and other influential people. Gross is known for her extraordinary ability to engage guests of all temperaments and to link ideas and experiences in ways that encourage even the most reserved guests to open up, while intuitively anticipating exactly what her listeners want to know next. Fresh Air complements one-on-one interviews with commentary and criticism from a roster of nationally recognized experts. The program’s 1994 Peabody Award citation credits Fresh Air with “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insights.” The San Francisco Chronicle said the program is “a remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence.”

About the Host

Terry Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, New York, where she hosted and produced several arts, women’s, and public affairs programs, including This Is Radio, a daily, live, three-hour magazine program. Two years later, she joined the staff of WHYY-FM in Philadelphia as producer and host of the original incarnation of Fresh Air, a local, daily interview and music program; the show went national with a weekly program on NPR in 1985. In addition to her work on Fresh Air, Gross has been a guest host for All Things Considered; she was co-anchor of the PBS show The Great Comet Crash; and was a guest host for CBS Nightwatch. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gross received a bachelor’s degree in English and a M.Ed. in Communications from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Gross has been honored with a 1989 Honorary Doctor of Letters from Drexel University and a 1993 Distinguished Alumni Award from SUNY Buffalo.

Visit the Fresh Air web site.