This month marks 50 years of Terry Gross as the host of Fresh Air. What began in 1975 as a local experiment at WHYY in Philadelphia has since grown into a national institution—one that not only transformed public radio, but laid the groundwork for the world of podcasting.

To commemorate a half-century on the air, Terry Gross joins us for a rare appearance in the interview seat. At the top, we discuss her Brooklyn upbringing (10:26 ), early memories of writing (13:00 ), and her improbable road to public radio (29:38 ). Then, Terry walks us through the formative years of Fresh Air (33:37 ) and its seminal conversations with Kurt Vonnegut (40:21 ), John Updike (46:30 ), Monica Lewinsky (49:30 ), Joan Didion (1:00:55 ), and more.

On the back-half, Gross reflects on forty-seven years of partnership with her late husband, jazz writer Francis Davis (1:03:24 ), their shared affinity for reading and music (1:05:57 ), the future of public media (1:19:16 ), and why she continues to have faith in (and love for) the long-form interview (1:31:35 ).

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