Terry Gross
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Terry Gross (born 1951) is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview-format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio. Gross has won praise over the years for her low-key and friendly, yet often probing interview style, and for the diversity of her guests. She has a reputation for researching her guests' entire careers and asking them about lesser-known aspects of their early careers.
Virtually all of Gross's interviews are taped and edited down, and as is the case in many radio programs, guests are often not in the studio. While nearly all other radio programming has gone digital, Fresh Air is still recorded, edited and played back on analog reel-to-reel tape.
Biography
Gross grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. She earned a Bachelor's in English and a M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. She began a teaching career, but said that she was "totally unequipped" for the job, and was fired after only six weeks.[link] She began her radio career in 1973 at WBFO, a public radio station in Buffalo, New York at which she had been volunteering. In 1975, she moved to WHYY-FM in Philadelphia to host and produce Fresh Air, which was a local interview program at the time. In 1985, Fresh Air with Terry Gross went national, being distributed weekly by NPR. Two years later, it became a daily program.Gross is married to Village Voice jazz critic Francis Davis. The couple have no children. Because of her haircut, and the number of guests from arts and entertainment (some of whom are gay), Gross said in her autobiography that she is sometimes asked whether she is gay or straight, including one memorable instance where a guest at a social occasion informed her mother-in-law of her speculation. [link] In the context of her interview with Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, Gross mentioned that at one time she lived in a commune.
Interview style
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Gross's interviews are "a remarkable blend of empathy, warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence." [link] Gross prides herself on preparation. Prior to interviewing a guest, she reads their book(s), watches their movie(s), and/or listens to their CD(s). She reads at least one book a day. The result is often an interview that is engaging; her questions tend to be probing without violating the subjects' privacy. The Boston Phoenix wrote "Terry Gross...is almost certainly the best cultural interviewer in America, and one of the best all-around interviewers, period. Her smart, thoughtful questioning pushes her guests in unlikely directions. Her interviews are revelatory in a way other people's seldom are."[link]Gross treats different guests differently; she is often more challenging with political figures than with people in the arts, who may be less prepared for such interviews and less prone to expressing themselves in canned "sound-bites." [link]
Criticism
Those who criticize Gross most often focus on her reputation as being politically and socially liberal, allegedly unfriendly to conservative politics and religious viewpoints. Supporters note that she has interviewed numerous conservatives without incident, and has guests representing a wide variety of religious viewpoints.Clashes with guests
Gross draws the most public attention at the rare times when she clashes with guests, including:- An October 8, 2003 interview with conservative television host Bill O'Reilly, who walked out of the interview because of what he considered her biased questions, creating a media controversy fed by the ongoing presidential campaign.[link] Gross also received criticism from CPB ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin for "an interview that was, in the end, unfair to O'Reilly." [link] Dvorkin later clarified that his main criticism was that Gross read a critical quote about O'Reilly after O'Reilly walked out of the interview. Gross has been supported by those who contend that O'Reilly did, in fact, have the opportunity to respond to the critical quote, but he defaulted by prematurely abandoning the interview.[link]
- A February 4, 2002 interview with rock star Gene Simmons, who at one point said "If you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs," to which Gross replied, "That's a really obnoxious thing to say." Unlike most Fresh Air guests, Simmons refused to grant permission for the interview to be made available online. However, some unauthorized transcripts are available,[link] as well as an audio file of the complete original interview. [link]
- A February 9, 2005 interview of Lynne Cheney, conservative author and wife of vice president Dick Cheney. The initial focus of the interview was on Cheney's latest history book, but Gross moved on to questions about Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary and her opinion of the Bush administration's opposition to gay marriage.[link] Cheney declined to comment on her daughters' sexuality, but repeatedly stated that she is opposed to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage that was being endorsed by President Bush. Cheney declined to discuss the matter further. This persisted throughout the interview and the tone became increasingly confrontational. According to producers, Cheney had been warned that she would be asked about politics and current events. [link]
Awards for Terry Gross and Fresh Air
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award for "Best Live Radio Program," 1981
- Ohio State Award, 1987
- Peabody Award, 1994
- [America Women In Radio and Television's] Gracie Award, 1999
- [CPB Murrow Award], 2003
Book
- (2004) All I Did Was Ask : Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists. Hyperion ISBN 1401300103.
Audio collections with Terry Gross
- (1998) Fresh Air: On Stage & Screen (cassette)
- (2000) Fresh Air on Stage and Screen Vol 2 (CD)
- (2004) Fresh Air Laughs with Terry Gross [UNABRIDGED] (CD)
External links
- [NPR biography]
- [Interview/profile in Salon.com]
- Audio - February 4, 2002 interview with Gene Simmons: [Part 1]. [Part 2]. [Part 3]. [Part 4]
- Audio - [October 8, 2003 interview with Bill O'Reilly]
- Audio - [February 9, 2005 interview with Lynne Cheney]
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