Terry Gross Terry Gross is the host and executive producer of NPR's Fresh Air.
Terry Gross square 2017
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Terry Gross

WHYY
Terry Gross
WHYY

Terry Gross

Host, Fresh Air

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.

Gross, who has been host of Fresh Air since 1975, when it was broadcast only in greater Philadelphia, isn't afraid to ask tough questions. But Gross sets an atmosphere in which her guests volunteer the answers rather than surrendering them. What often puts those guests at ease is Gross' understanding of their work. "Anyone who agrees to be interviewed must decide where to draw the line between what is public and what is private," Gross says. "But the line can shift, depending on who is asking the questions. What puts someone on guard isn't necessarily the fear of being 'found out.' It sometimes is just the fear of being misunderstood."

Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, New York. There she hosted and produced several arts, women's and public affairs programs, including This Is Radio, a live, three-hour magazine program that aired daily. Two years later, she joined the staff of WHYY-FM in Philadelphia as producer and host of Fresh Air, then a local, daily interview and music program. In 1985, WHYY-FM launched a weekly half-hour edition of Fresh Air with Terry Gross, which was distributed nationally by NPR. Since 1987, a daily, one-hour national edition of Fresh Air has been produced by WHYY-FM. The program is broadcast on 566 stations and became the first non-drive time show in public radio history to reach more than five million listeners each week in fall 2008, a presidential election season. In fall 2011, Fresh Air reached 4.4 million listeners a week.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross has received a number of awards, including the prestigious Peabody Award in 1994 for its "probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight." America Women in Radio and Television presented Gross with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award for her "outstanding contributions to public radio" and for advancing the "growth, quality and positive image of radio." In 2007, Gross received the Literarian Award. In 2011, she received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community.

Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Gross received a bachelor's degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Gross was recognized with the Columbia Journalism Award from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in 2008 and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Princeton University in 2002. She received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993 and Doctor of Humane Letters in 2007, both from SUNY–Buffalo. She also received a Doctor of Letters from Haverford College in 1998 and Honorary Doctor of Letters from Drexel University in 1989.

Story Archive

Friday

Barry Manilow reflects on writing songs — and making the whole world sing

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Tuesday

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., vice chairwoman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, delivers remarks during a hearing on Oct. 13, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Liz Cheney, focused on stopping Trump, hasn't ruled out 3rd-party presidential run

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Monday

Dave Davies began covering local politics and government for WHYY in Philadelphia in 1982. WHYY hide caption

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WHYY

Longtime 'Fresh Air' contributor Dave Davies signs off (sort of)

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Friday

Rachel Maddow uncovers a WWII-era plot against the U.S. government

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Wednesday

How support for Trump is causing a rift in the evangelical church

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Tuesday

Remembering First Lady Rosalynn Carter

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Monday

A group of protestors march in front of the General Accounting Office on March 29, 1995, to raise awareness about the mysterious object that was found in Roswell, N.M., in 1947. Joshua Roberts/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joshua Roberts/AFP via Getty Images

How the Roswell 'UFO' spurred our modern age of conspiracy theories

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Thursday

Pianist Jason Moran reaches for 'the drama, the comedy and the tragedy' of music

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Friday

Albert Brooks finds humor in everyday life: 'I never told jokes'

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Thursday

How will China's economic stagnation impact its relations with the U.S.?

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Tuesday

What's next for Fox News now that Rupert Murdoch has stepped down?

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Friday

A Marine veteran says the contradictions of war can make you feel insane

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Thursday

Journalist reflects on the ideological, religious and ethnic conflicts within Israel

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Wednesday

Barbra Streisand, photographed in 1965. Harry Benson/Express/Getty Images hide caption

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Harry Benson/Express/Getty Images

Barbra Streisand shares her secret for keeping performances honest

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Friday

'Fresh Air' remembers 'Friends' star Matthew Perry

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Thursday

'Everybody got it wrong': How did Israel fail to detect Hamas' planned invasion?

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Wednesday

"I really enjoy writing the songs and performing and the other things that we do," David Byrne says of his work in Talking Heads. Jordan Cronenweth/Courtesy of A24 hide caption

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Jordan Cronenweth/Courtesy of A24

For David Byrne, Talking Heads was about making emotional sense — not literal sense

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Tuesday

Rep. Adam Kinzinger on investigating Jan. 6 and being a 'Renegade' in the GOP

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Friday

Novelist John Le Carré reflects on his own 'Legacy' of spying

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Wednesday

Werner Herzog describes his dramatic narration in films as a "stylized voice." At home with his wife, he says, "I am a mild-mannered, fluffy husband." Lena Herzog hide caption

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Lena Herzog

Werner Herzog says it's not good to circle 'your own navel' but writes a memoir anyway

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Tuesday

'Charlie Chaplin vs. America' explores the accusations that sent a star into exile

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Wednesday

How one Christian legal group is shaping policy, from abortion to LGBTQ rights

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Wednesday

How was Hamas able to launch such a devastating attack on Israel?

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Tuesday

Keegan-Michael Key breaks down how he sets up a joke

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