2008 Woodie Awards
Radio star speaks about guests
Brad McAllister
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Arts & Lifestyle
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She has been described as smart, incisive and on-point. Though small in stature, she fills the tall order of bringing us closer to those who influence our culture. She is National Public Radio's host of "Fresh Air," Terry Gross.
Gross spoke at UW-Whitewater's Fern Young Terrace Tuesday evening where she shared stories from her career as a radio journalist along with clips from her most provocative interviews. Gross also has a national bestselling book, "All I Did Was Ask," on the store shelves.
Gross's probing questions have taken us into the lives of over 10,000 artists, musicians, authors, actors, scientists and even politicians. She has interviewed everyone from John Updike to George Clooney, and B.B. King to Monica Lewinsky.
Since 1975, Gross has been hosting and producing Fresh Air, which is based out of WHYY-FM in Philidelphia. She is rarely face-to-face with her guests, allowing her the freedom to conduct in-depth personal autobiographical interviews, whether the guest likes it or not.
Gross feels that, as a society, we are getting more and more comfortable having long-distance relationships, via the internet and so on, and radio is no different.
"I ask pretty personal questions," Gross said. "There is a comfort in being long-distance. I am sheltered from seeing the look of discomfort on a guest's face when asking personal or challenging questions."
Radio wasn't always what Gross wanted to do. She took a junior high school teaching job after graduating from State University of New York College with a Bachelor's degree in English. She was fired after six weeks - a blessing as far as she was concerned.
"I was too young to teach, Gross said. "I was all wrong for those students; I wasn't what they needed, but I was afraid to quit."
One of the things she learned by the experience was that failing is sometimes a blessing.
"I could've stuck it out and become a very mediocre teacher, and a pretty unhappy one too," Gross said.
Gross spoke at UW-Whitewater's Fern Young Terrace Tuesday evening where she shared stories from her career as a radio journalist along with clips from her most provocative interviews. Gross also has a national bestselling book, "All I Did Was Ask," on the store shelves.
Gross's probing questions have taken us into the lives of over 10,000 artists, musicians, authors, actors, scientists and even politicians. She has interviewed everyone from John Updike to George Clooney, and B.B. King to Monica Lewinsky.
Since 1975, Gross has been hosting and producing Fresh Air, which is based out of WHYY-FM in Philidelphia. She is rarely face-to-face with her guests, allowing her the freedom to conduct in-depth personal autobiographical interviews, whether the guest likes it or not.
Gross feels that, as a society, we are getting more and more comfortable having long-distance relationships, via the internet and so on, and radio is no different.
"I ask pretty personal questions," Gross said. "There is a comfort in being long-distance. I am sheltered from seeing the look of discomfort on a guest's face when asking personal or challenging questions."
Radio wasn't always what Gross wanted to do. She took a junior high school teaching job after graduating from State University of New York College with a Bachelor's degree in English. She was fired after six weeks - a blessing as far as she was concerned.
"I was too young to teach, Gross said. "I was all wrong for those students; I wasn't what they needed, but I was afraid to quit."
One of the things she learned by the experience was that failing is sometimes a blessing.
"I could've stuck it out and become a very mediocre teacher, and a pretty unhappy one too," Gross said.
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