Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Barbara Walters forged a path for women in journalism, but not without paying a price
by Tonya Mosley
Walters was the first woman to co-anchor a national news show on prime time television. "The path she cut is one that many of us have followed," says biographer Susan Page, author of The Rulebreaker.
A look back at how Godzilla and King Kong first roared onto screen
by Terry Gross
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is out. We listen back to archival interviews with film historian Rudy Behlmer about the original 1933 King Kong and with Steve Ryfle about the original 1954 Godzilla.
Journalist says a 'land grab' in Tanzania is forcing the Maasai off their land
by Dave Davies
Atlantic journalist Stephanie McCrummen says foreign interests are acquiring territory in Northern Tanzania, effectively displacing indigenous cattle-herders from their traditional grazing lands.
Part satire, part tragedy, 'The Sympathizer' will reward your full attention
by John Powers
A new HBO series based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel takes a surreal look at the Vietnam war, the costs of colonialism and the disillusionments of revolution and immigration.
Michael Douglas stars as a flirty Ben Franklin in this Apple TV+ series
by David Bianculli
Franklin is worth watching — not only for what it reveals about how the U.S. won independence from England then – but also about the complexities of war, and international politics now.
Contrarian Lionel Shriver deftly satirizes anti-intellectualism in 'Mania'
by Maureen Corrigan
Shriver's new novel is one of her best. It takes place in an alternative America, where the last acceptable bias — discrimination against people considered not so smart — is being stamped out.
What's a 'Soundie'? A new collection revisits this little known 1940s phenomenon
by Lloyd Schwartz
Soundies were 3-minute musical films which you could watch at a bar or club on a large jukebox with a screen. Film historian Susan Delson has curated a selection in Soundies: The Ultimate Collection.