“FRESH AIR WITH TERRY GROSS” WINS PEABODY’S INSTITUTIONAL AWARD
Presented by Stephen Colbert
The 82nd Annual Peabody Award Winners to be Announced During Multi-Day Virtual Celebration– June 6th to June 9th
ATHENS, GA (May 24, 2022) – Peabody today announced that Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the estimable cultural interview radio and podcast program, has won the Institutional Award. Stephen Colbert presented Terry Gross and the Fresh Air team with the honor this morning via video (linked HERE). Fresh Air, which originated from WHYY in Philadelphia and broadcasts daily through NPR, is being recognized for its rich conversation for over 35 years, becoming the indispensable place for listeners to engage with many of the most beloved artists who have shaped society over the last century. Selected by the Peabody Board of Jurors, the Institutional Award recognizes institutions and organizations, as well as series and programs, for their enduring body of work and their iconic impact on both the media landscape and the public imagination.
“Gross possesses what musicians often call “big ears”—a habit of being deeply immersed in the play of the conversation at hand through acute listening. Her mastery of dialogue is seen in questions that unearth the rudiments and alchemy of artistry,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Fresh Air is just that as an interview show. The mission is the soul of art, not the spectacle of celebrity.”
Terry Gross began hosting Fresh Air in 1975 and has since conducted over 13,000 interviews with a wide array of celebrities, artists, politicians, showrunners, musicians, and writers. Part conversationalist, part therapist, part oral historian, Gross leans heavily into her guests with an unassuming intimacy that often evokes unexpected and, at times, uninterrogated feelings or memories. She routinely displays genuine interest in what makes artists great, not just as creators, but also as individuals whose personal history and humanity inspire the art itself. With her distinctive style and insightful interviews, Gross and her longtime co-executive producer Danny Miller have made Fresh Air one of the top audio programs in the world.
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 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. The series previously won a 1993 Peabody Award.
Recent winners of the Institutional Award include ARRAY, The Simpsons, 60 Minutes, Sesame Street, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Kartemquin Films, FRONTLINE, and ITVS.
The Career Achievement Award will be announced on May 19th and the 30 winners of the Peabody Awards will be named during a multi-day virtual celebration from June 6th through June 9th. The winners will be announced on the following platforms:
Twitter: @PeabodyAwards
Instagram: @PeabodyAwards
Facebook: Peabody Awards
YouTube: PeabodyAwardChannel
Website: http://peabodyawards.com/
Hashtags: #PeabodyAwards #StoriesThatMatter
About Peabody Awards
Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody is an honor like no other for television, podcast/radio, and digital media. Chosen each year by a diverse Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, Peabody Awards are given in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service. The annual Peabody winners are a collection of 30 stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day. From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice, and equity. The Peabody Awards were founded in 1940 at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and are still based in Athens today. For more information, visit peabodyawards.com to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social:
Media Contact:
Julie Cloutier / julie.cloutier@ledecompany.com
Anna Bailer / anna.bailer@ledecompany.com