Terry Gross Explained

Terry Gross should not be confused with Terry Grosz.

Terry Gross
Birth Date:February 14, 1951
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Show:Fresh Air
Station:WHYY-FM, NPR
Alma Mater:University at Buffalo (BA, M.Ed)
Country:United States
Occupation:Journalist, author
Spouse:

    Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951)[1] 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 NPR in 1975, Gross has interviewed thousands of guests.[2]

    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' work the night before an interview, often asking them unexpected questions about their early careers.[3]

    Early life

    Terry Gross was born in Brooklyn, New York City,[4] [5] and grew up in its Sheepshead Bay neighborhood, the second child of Anne (Abrams), a stenographer, and Irving Gross,[6] who worked in a family millinery business, where he sold fabric to milliners.[7] She grew up in a Jewish family, and all her grandparents were immigrants, her father's parents from Tarnów, Poland, and her mother's from the Russian Empire.[8] [9] [6] She said that her family lived in an apartment near Senior's Restaurant, a local landmark.[10] [11] When she was young, people would often ask where Gross came from, assuming that her lack of a heavy Brooklyn accent meant she grew up elsewhere. She has an older brother, Leon J. Gross, who works as a psychometric consultant.[12] [13]

    In 1968, Gross graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and a Master of Education degree in communications from the University at Buffalo. While in college, she married her high-school boyfriend who attended the same university; they subsequently divorced. She took a year off from school to hitchhike across the country.[11]

    In 1972, Gross started teaching 8th grade at an inner-city public junior high school in Buffalo. She said she was ill-equipped for the job, especially at establishing discipline, and was fired after only six weeks.[14]

    Career

    Gross began her radio career in 1973 at WBFO, an NPR CPB-funded[15] college[16] station, then broadcasting from the Main Street Campus[16] of the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, where she started out as a volunteer on a show called Woman Power, then co-hosted This is Radio.[15] Typical subjects of these shows were women's rights and public affairs.[17]

    In 1975, she moved to WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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. It became a daily program two years later. Gross typically conducts the interviews from the WHYY-FM studios in Philadelphia, with her subject at the studio of a local NPR affiliate convenient to them connected via telephone or satellite feed. For the majority of these conversations, Gross is not face-to-face with her subjects. Gross creates a daily show that is an hour long, usually includes two interviews, and is distributed to over 190 NPR stations. The show reaches an audience of millions of daily listeners.[7] Many of the producers and staff on Gross's show have been with her since the late 1970s to 1980s.

    Interview style

    The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Gross's interviews are "a remarkable blend of empathy, warmth, genuine curiosity, and sharp intelligence."[18] Gross prides herself on preparation; prior to interviewing guests, she reads their books, watches their movies, or listens to their CDs.[19] The Boston Phoenix opined that "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."

    Gross said that when she first started working in radio, her voice was much higher with anxiety. For years she took singing lessons, and has worked to relax her voice and to a more natural, deeper tone.[20] Much has been written about Gross's voice, and the precision of her use of language has been the subject of much analysis.[21] [22]

    Difficult interviews

    There have been some occasions when interviews have not gone smoothly. Gross asked Nancy Reagan about the lack of funding and mishandling of HIV/AIDS by her husband, President Ronald Reagan, which was not well received. Several guests, including Lou Reed, Jann Wenner, Faye Dunaway, Monica Lewinsky, Bill O'Reilly, and Adam Driver, have stopped their interviews prematurely.[23] [24] [25]

    Three notable examples are:

    Other appearances

    On October 30, 1988, Gross played radio host "Rose Butler" in a remake of the famous The War of the Worlds broadcast of fifty years earlier. The 1988 version was produced by WGBH in Boston and picked up by 150 National Public Radio stations.

    Gross appeared as a guest voice on The Simpsons as herself in the episodes "The Debarted" and "The Girl on the Bus".

    During the spring 1998 semester, Gross was a guest lecturer at University of California-Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

    In 2012, Gross appeared in a short comedic film by Mike Birbiglia titled "The Secret Criminal Life of Terry Gross."[36]

    In 2015 she appeared on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and played the game "Not My Job", answering questions about Hulk Hogan.[37]

    In June 2017, Gross appeared as a guest-voice on Clarence as Aberdale Public Radio host, Debra Copper, in the episode "Public Radio".[38]

    In January 2020, Gross appeared on the PBS program Finding Your Roots, in which she explored her Jewish heritage.[39] [40] A year prior, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. had been a guest on Fresh Air. At the conclusion of their Fresh Air interview, Gates invited Gross to appear on Finding Your Roots.[41]

    In 2020, Gross appeared as a fictionalized version of herself in the audiobook version of the Max Brooks novel Devolution.

    She is the voice of Pam in the HBO Max animated series The Fungies!.

    Personal life

    While she was in college in the late 1960s, Gross was married for about a year to a man she knew from high school, with whom she had been living previously. Gross said she dropped out of college in her sophomore year to hitchhike with him across the country before they were married. She obtained a divorce by the time she started her radio career in 1973.[42] [43]

    Gross has been married to Francis Davis, a former jazz critic for The Village Voice, since 1994. They have been together since 1978.[44] Davis is Catholic, and Gross is Jewish, but neither is practicing. They reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and share a passion for music. They have no children, which Gross has said was a deliberate choice on their part.[45] [46]

    Awards

    Works and publications

    Books

    Audio

    Video

    Further reading

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Gross, Terry 1951– . . . October 14, 2022.
    2. News: Burton. Susan. Terry Gross and the Art of Opening Up: The 'Fresh Air' host's 40-year, 13,000-interview master class in conversation. October 23, 2015. The New York Times. October 21, 2015.
    3. News: Leibovich. Lori. Turning the tables on Terry Gross. January 17, 2008. Salon. June 22, 1998.
    4. Web site: 'Fresh Air' Host Terry Gross Appears on 'Finding Your Roots' - Jewish Exponent. January 19, 2020.
    5. News: Terry Gross: Host, Fresh Air. June 25, 2015. Fresh Air. NPR.
    6. Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 21, 2020
    7. News: Kennedy . John H. . Terry Gross Makes Conversation Seem Like a Breeze on 'Fresh Air'. June 25, 2015. The Christian Science Monitor. May 6, 1997.
    8. News: Phillips. Michael. Voicestruck in Philly by Terry Gross. June 25, 2015. Chicago Tribune. September 26, 2004.
    9. News: Gross. Terry. Spending The Night With Sleepwalker Mike Birbiglia. June 25, 2015. Fresh Air. NPR. October 18, 2010.
    10. Web site: Maron. Marc. Episode 604 - Terry Gross. WTF with Marc Maron. May 25, 2015. May 21, 2015.
    11. Web site: Terry Gross to Marc Maron: 'Life Is Harder Than Radio' . May 21, 2015. . NPR. May 20, 2015.
    12. Web site: Gross, Terry. Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Pennsylvania State University. May 25, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140806022034/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Gross__Terry.html. August 6, 2014.
    13. Web site: Gross, PhD. Leon J.. Certification Examination: Summary of September 2012 Administration. American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). June 25, 2015. September 2012.
    14. Web site: Terry Gross: Producer and Host of National Public Radio's "Fresh Air". Seattle Arts & Lectures. June 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20020818140447/http://lectures.org/gross.html. August 18, 2002. April 24, 2001.
    15. Web site: The Turnaround: Terry Gross. Jesse Thorn. maximumfun.org. August 10, 2017 . September 4, 2017.
    16. Web site: Welcome to WBFO. February 3, 1998. September 4, 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/19980203231725/http://www.wbfo.buffalo.edu/. February 3, 1998.
    17. News: Yan. Eleanor. NPR Host Breathes Fresh Air Into Talk Radio: Gross 'Finds The Storytellers Behind the Stories' . September 4, 2017. The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. April 9, 2000.
    18. Web site: Inside WBUR: Terry Gross. WBUR. June 3, 2007. January 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080102092222/http://www.wbur.org/inside/personality/detail6527.asp. January 2, 2008.
    19. News: Goldman. Andrew. Can 'Fresh Air' Kill Plants?. June 25, 2015. The New York Times. July 20, 2012.
    20. News: Bergstrom. Bill. Queen of questions. June 25, 2015. The Spokesman-Review. January 18, 2001.
    21. News: Marcus. Greil. One Step Back; Public Radio Hosts Drop In and Maybe Stay Too Long. June 25, 2015. The New York Times. March 16, 1998.
    22. News: van Zuylen-Wood. Simon. Terry Gross: The Queen of "Like". How the NPR host saved America's dumbest word. June 25, 2015. Philadelphia. December 21, 2012.
    23. News: Stewart. David. Terry Gross: engaged with subject and listeners. June 25, 2015. Current. American University School of Communication. October 4, 1999.
    24. Web site: Turning the tables on Terry Gross . Salon.com . June 22, 1998 . October 13, 2015 . Leibovich, Lori.
    25. News: Adam Driver Walks Out of NPR 'Fresh Air' Interview Over 'Marriage Story' Clip. The Daily Beast. Tani. Maxwell. December 17, 2019. December 18, 2019.
    26. Web site: Gross. Terry. Leader and Bassist of the Band Kiss, Gene Simmons. February 4, 2002. Fresh Air. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    27. Web site: Gross. Terry. Terry Gross interview with Gene Simmons. February 4, 2002. Fresh Air. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    28. Web site: Gross. Terry. Transcript of Gene Simmons and Terry Gross, host of NPR's Fresh Air. Fresh Air. NPR. October 30, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051030001555/http://rof.net/wp/carriep/TERRYGRO.HTM. October 30, 2005. February 4, 2002.
    29. Web site: Gene Simmons. February 4, 2002. Fresh Air. NPR.
    30. Web site: Gross. Terry. Bill O'Reilly. October 8, 2003. Fresh Air. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    31. Web site: Dvorkin. Jeffrey A.. Gross vs. O'Reilly: Culture Clash on NPR. October 15, 2003. NPR Ombudsman. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    32. Web site: Gladstone. Brooke. Pesca. Mike. Watching You Watching Me: Jeffrey Dvorkin. On The Media. NPR. June 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20061001132251/http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/transcripts_062306_c.html. October 1, 2006. June 23, 2006.
    33. News: O'Reilly. Bill. Terry Gross and Bill O'Reilly: Round Two. June 25, 2015. The O'Reilly Factor. Fox News. September 22, 2004.
    34. Web site: Gross. Terry. Lynne Cheney, Author and Historian. February 9, 2006. Fresh Air. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    35. Web site: Dvorkin. Jeffrey A.. A Week of Insults on NPR. February 15, 2005. NPR Ombudsman. NPR. January 17, 2008.
    36. Web site: Birbiglia . Mike . The Secret Criminal Life of Terry Gross . The Atlantic . 8 November 2020 . Mike Birbiglia's radio interview with the famous Fresh Air host takes an unexpected turn. . 14 May 2012.
    37. Web site: Not My Job: Terry Gross Gets Quizzed On Terry Gene Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. September 20, 2016. July 11, 2015.
    38. Web site: Milligan . Mercedes . Clips: Terry Gross Guests on 'Clarence,' Robert Rodriguez Meets 'Uncle Grandpa' . Animation Magazine . Jean Thoren . 11 February 2023.
    39. Web site: Terry Gross is featured in: Season 6, Episode 5: Beyond the Pale . Finding Your Roots . PBAS . 8 November 2020.
    40. Web site: Season 6, Episode 5 . Finding Your Roots . PBS . 8 November 2020 . 21 January 2020 . Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross.
    41. Web site: Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. On DNA Testing And Finding His Own Roots . Fresh Air . NPR . 21 January 2019 . In front of all these people and all these viewers. I'm here to ask, on behalf of our production staff, if you will be a guest in next season.
    42. Web site: Horowitz. Shel. Interviewing the Interviewer: An Evening with Fresh Air's Terry Gross. Frugal Fun. June 25, 2015. April 1999.
    43. News: Gewertz. Ken. NPR's most seductive voice speaks. June 25, 2015. Harvard Gazette. October 11, 2001.
    44. News: Proust Questionnaire - Terry Gross. June 30, 2015. Vanity Fair. September 2012.
    45. Web site: Gross. Terry. Actor B.D. Wong. September 3, 2008. Fresh Air. NPR. June 11, 2003.
    46. News: Keaveny. Tami. Off the air and on the record with NPR's Terry Gross. June 30, 2015. C-Ville Weekly. September 24, 2013.
    47. CPB Names Terry Gross 2003 Murrow Award Recipient. January 17, 2008. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. May 16, 2003.
    48. Web site: President Obama to Award 2015 National Humanities Medals.
    49. Web site: Stephen Colbert Presents Fresh Air with Terry Gross with the Peabody Institutional Award. . May 24, 2022 .
    50. Web site: Gannes. Liz. The Secret Life of NPR's Terry Gross (Video). . June 25, 2015. May 11, 2012.

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