Casting Call: Fresh Air
An experiment in podcasting
Who should be the host of Fresh Air after Terry Gross retires? I’ve been thinking about this since I learned, recently, that Terry took on Tonya Mosley as her co-host.
The obvious answer to who will be Terry’s heir is Mosley, but that doesn’t answer the question of should. Mosley has more vitality to her than longtime substitute host Dave Davies, but you’d be hard pressed to make the case that she’s a unique talent in the way that Terry is. She seems like relatively high-level NPR generic.
I’d like to do an episode of the podcast in which I hear from you, or talk to you, about the ideal succession plan for Fresh Air. In a semi-ideal world, who should it be? Who might it realistically be, if Mosley doesn’t end up inheriting the chair? What are some left field notions? And why? What makes that person unique, compelling, charismatic? What was so special about Terry that makes her so hard to imagine replacing?
If you’d like to participate, email me at djopps@gmail.com. A few options:
We can record a quick shot interview with me, like 5-10 minutes, to discuss your idea.
You can write a few sentences or a few hundred words on your proposed host(s).
You can record a voice memo or short video.
Some other form I haven’t thought about but is interesting.
If you’d like to record a short interview, let me know ASAP. Deadline for everything else is September 10.
I think this can be a really fun and fruitful experiment, but it depends on your enthusiastic and intelligent participation, so please put out for me. Happy to grant anonymity if what you have to say is juicy enough.
Is it too obvious to recommend Sam Fragoso? Or Sarah from You Were Wrong About? Sarah would probably be my #1 pick.
No suggestions, but some thoughts on what I like about Terry. She creates a space for her guests to talk in a way that feels intimate. She is both gentle and fearless in her questions. She demonstrates a deep interest in her guests, many of whom I am not immediately interested in, and makes me interested, too. I want to be more like her.