Fresh Air from WHYY

Schedule

88.5-1

Monday - Thursday

3:00 pm

88.3

Monday - Thursday

3:00 pm

88.5-3

Friday

3:00 pm

Fresh Air opens the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.

Terry Gross hosts this multi-award-winning daily interview and features program. The veteran public radio interviewer is known for her extraordinary ability to engage guests of all dispositions. Every weekday she delights intelligent and curious listeners with revelations on contemporary societal concerns.

Find more information about Fresh Air.

Friday, September 14, 2012

'Chico & Rita': An Animated Film With A Cuban Beat

Director Fernando Trueba talks about his Oscar-nominated animated film Chico and Rita, which follows a pair of lovers who leave Havana's music scene in the 1940s to head to New York City. It's now out on DVD.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

'Totally Biased' Comic On Race, Politics And Audience

Comic W. Kamau Bell's new show, produced by Chris Rock, mixes standup, sketches and interviews. Bell tells Fresh Air about the origins of his political humor and why it's important for him to have a multiracial audience.

New Shows Hit Average In Fall TV Lineup

Critic David Bianculli says of all the new programs premiering this fall, there isn't one you have to add to your weekly viewing list. The best new show, he says, is Emily Owens, M.D., which is just like Ally McBeal if she were a doctor instead of a lawyer — but it's graded on a curve.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

In Meetings, On The Court To Discover 'Obama's Way'

Writer Michael Lewis was given unusual access to the president for six months for an article for Vanity Fair. Lewis tells Fresh Air that he found a "weird disjuncture between his powers and his powerlessness."

'The Scientists': A Father's Lie And A Family's Legacy

Marco Roth grew up on New York's Upper West Side in the 1980s, where a liberal Jewish culture infused with European tastes was breathing its last gasps. In his memoir, Roth describes how he learned — years after his father died from AIDS — that his father was probably gay.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Bob Dylan's Baffling And Sometimes Beautiful 'Tempest'

Critic Ken Tucker says that some songs on Tempest sound less like concentrated efforts than outpourings of rambling thoughts; others are as precisely crafted as any Bob Dylan has written.

New Center Trains Detection Dogs To Save Lives

A center for scientists to study what helps dogs succeed in search-and-rescue operations opens Tuesday at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cynthia Otto, who created the center, and Annemarie DeAngelo, the center's training director, tell Fresh Air why they depend on their canine companions.

Monday, September 10, 2012

The Forgotten Story Of Memphis' American Studios

Memphis has been a music town since anyone can remember, and it's had places to record that music since there have been records. Some of its studios — Sun, Stax and Hi — are well-known, but American Studios produced its share of hits, and yet remains obscure.

Andrew Rannells: Gay And Serious In 'New Normal'

Andrew Rannells stars in the new comedy TV series The New Normal about a gay couple who want a child so they hire a surrogate. Rannells tells Fresh Air that he didn't want to "dumb down" the serious role with "stereotypical over-the-top gay flash and sass."

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: Feathers, Cellphones As Trackers

A new book analyzes feathers in birds. A reporter says cellphones collect more than we realize. An advocate who entered an assisted living facility at 53 talks about recording residents' final days and how death is handled "very poorly" in facilities.

Friday, September 7, 2012

'Bachelorette' Sounds Dark Comedic Depths

Leslye Headland makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of her own play about three bridesmaids whose bad habits and emotional issues threaten to undermine their friend's impending wedding. It's tonally uneven but engrossing, says critic David Edelstein.

Fresh Air Remembers Lyricist Hal David

Hal David, the Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 91. David is best known for his prolific collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach, which lasted from the late '50s to the mid-'70s.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Harmony, Teenagers And 'The Complete Story Of Doo-Wop'

Street Corner Symphonies is a 15-volume year-by-year survey of doo-wop by scholar Bill Dahl.

Advocate Fights 'Ambient Despair' In Assisted Living

Martin Bayne entered an assisted living facility at 53 after he was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease. Now he writes about long-term care reform. He tells Fresh Air about recording residents' final days and how death is handled "very poorly" in facilities.

Why Your Cellphone Could Be Called A 'Tracker'

ProPublica investigative reporter Peter Maass says cellphone companies monitor where we are, who we call, what we buy — and often provide it to law enforcement when requested. "They are collecting a heck of a lot more information than we expect them to be collecting about us," he tells Fresh Air.

Pages

Arts & Culture

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.

Food

NPR

Could African Crops Be Improved With Private Biotech Data?

A plant scientist at Mars Inc., has appealed to the world's biggest life sciences companies to help him — by sharing what they already know about 100 crops that could provide better nutrition in Africa. But can the kings of agricultural intellectual property get on board with open source agricultural information for Africa?

Politics

NPR

Fears Of Killing Immigration Bill Doomed Same-Sex Amendment

Amid warnings the proposal would shatter support for the measure, Democrats backed away from a provision that would allow gay U.S. citizens to sponsor foreign-born spouses for green cards. Advocates for gay and lesbian immigration rights accused Democrats of caving in to threats.

Technology

NPR

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

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Fresh Air from WHYY

Arts & Culture

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

Food

Could African Crops Be Improved With Private Biotech Data?

Politics

Fears Of Killing Immigration Bill Doomed Same-Sex Amendment

Technology

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

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