TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Today marks a turning point in FRESH AIR history. Our long-time executive producer Danny Miller is retiring. We've been celebrating how he's led the show through good times and hard times and what he's done professionally and personally for each of us who's ever been part of the FRESH AIR team. But we're all so sad he's leaving. I'd like to take a moment to speak personally about what Danny means to me.
FRESH AIR started as a local program on WHYY in Philadelphia. Back in 1975, when I became the host, it was a live, three-hour show five days a week, and the staff was me. In 1978, when Danny applied to be an intern on the show, he was studying film and music therapy at Temple University and was the pianist in a local salsa band. I interviewed him for the intern position, and we hit it off. He bummed a cigarette from me, and I was happy to give him one since I had bummed cigarettes each time I had tried to quit. As we talked, we realized we shared a sense of humor, we both loved and listened to a lot of jazz and liked a lot of the same movies, most especially "Taxi Driver." It was clear we'd have similar judgment in who we should book on the show. You know the expression that if you're an intern, make yourself indispensable? Danny managed to do that pretty immediately, recommending guests, booking guests, organizing things. He even invited me over to dinner and served what I like to think of as baked eggplant a la sponge. But I forgave him for that. Now he's a good cook, famous, among other things, for his chicken soup.
I remember we drove together to the bar at an inn in the Poconos so I could record an interview with the pianist John Coates for NPR to use in its concert program, Jazz Alive! Before driving there, when Danny and I met at the radio station, he showed up in a bright yellow sports jacket that was also too large. It made me wonder, maybe I misjudged his sensibility, until I realized he'd pranked me to see how I'd react and then put on his real jacket. After he graduated, our then station manager, Bill Siemering, understood how indispensable Danny was, and he kept managing to find hidden money to hire Danny part time and eventually full time as a producer. When FRESH AIR became a national show in 1987, Danny became its executive producer. There were so many changes we had to make in the show, and then we faced so many changes in the world, all of which Danny led us through. This included the First Gulf War, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, political crises.
He became a father not long after we went national. And, at the time, he was the only parent working on the show. As time went on and there were many more FRESH AIR babies, Danny typically managed to come up with ways for them to stay on the show while still being good parents. He built in a measure of flexibility, like sharing a position with another new parent from our team, allowing each of them to work half time. When it came to what we broadcast on the show, Danny was the final word about what we actually put on the air. He always made sure we were being fair to the guest and the subject at hand. He was never a prude about what language our guests could use on the show, but he was prudent and always knew when to call someone for legal advice.
In addition to all that, he was like the FRESH AIR family therapist. We all brought our problems to him, and he always did his best to help solve them, even when it meant more work for him, which it typically did. He made a lot of personal sacrifices to keep things running as smoothly as possible, including working lots of nights and weekends over many years. To me, Danny is more than a great executive producer - I think of him as a brother, and I will continue to think of him that way now that he's leaving the show. It's a strange time for me. Danny became an intern in January 1978. Just a few weeks later, I started seeing my future husband, Francis Davis. Francis died in April, and now just a few months later, Danny is retiring. That's a lot to process.
I won't get to see Danny and work with him every day, but that won't mean he's absent from my life. I plan on scheduling many future dinners with him. We at FRESH AIR are also extraordinarily lucky that Sam Briger is taking over as our executive producer, a role he'd already started while Danny stayed on to help with the transition. I'm positive there is no one better in the world to take on the role. Sam has been part of the FRESH AIR team for about 21 years. During those years, his first child was born. That son is now in college. Sam knows the show inside-out, having worked as an associate producer, our book interview producer and managing producer. He's smart, funny and a good musician. He's wise and calm, even when there's a crisis, and everyone on our show loves him.
And who else, at one of our end-of-the-year holiday potlucks, would have made a gift for Danny of a LEGO version of a climactic moment in "Taxi Driver." So I don't want to hog the mic any further because everyone on our show wants a chance to thank Danny.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO'S "STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS")
GROSS: FRESH AIR's new executive producer is Sam Briger.
SAM BRIGER, BYLINE: Wait. He's not going on vacation? I thought he was going on vacation. Danny, don't let us miss you too much. Come back real soon.
GROSS: FRESH AIR's technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham.
AUDREY BENTHAM, BYLINE: Danny, we love you so much. Don't leave us with Sam.
GROSS: Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers...
PHYLLIS MYERS, BYLINE: And you left us with Sam? We'll be in really good hands. See you around the hood.
GROSS: ...Ann Marie Baldonado...
ANN MARIE BALDONADO, BYLINE: Danny, we're going to miss you so much, but I'm here to say, some people come back.
GROSS: ...Lauren Krenzel...
LAUREN KRENZEL, BYLINE: Come back to see us, Danny, soon and often.
GROSS: ...Therese Madden...
THERESE MADDEN, BYLINE: Danny, I'll miss seeing your tiny little lunches (laughter).
GROSS: ...Monique Nazareth...
MONIQUE NAZARETH, BYLINE: Danny, I've truly loved working with you all these years. Thank you for everything, and enjoy retirement.
GROSS: ...Thea Chaloner...
THEA CHALONER, BYLINE: Danny, I'll miss your snacks. I'll miss our talks.
GROSS: ...Susan Nyakundi...
SUSAN NYAKUNDI, BYLINE: Thanks for everything, Danny. We'll miss you in the office but hope to see you around the neighborhood soon.
GROSS: ...Anna Bauman...
ANNA BAUMAN, BYLINE: Thank you for all the mugs with our faces on it. Thank you, Danny.
GROSS: ...And Nico Gonzalez-Wisler.
NICO GONZALEZ-WISLER, BYLINE: Thanks for everything, Danny. We'll miss you.
GROSS: Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper.
MOLLY SEAVY-NESPER, BYLINE: Danny, I will always associate razor blades with you - not in a murder way.
GROSS: Roberta Shorrock directs the show.
ROBERTA SHORROCK, BYLINE: Going to miss you, Danny.
GROSS: Our co-host is Tonya Mosley.
TONYA MOSLEY, BYLINE: You better take Teams off of your computer and go on a real vacation. Happy retirement, Danny.
GROSS: I'm Terry Gross.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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