Gil Gross Archive Page
July 2001
Biography
As originally posted on KLAC's website
GIL GROSS has been a journalist for more than 30 years, most recently as host of the CBS Radio Network program, THE GIL GROSS SHOW, and as host of THE GIL GROSS SHOW IN Philadelphia on WWDB. On that program he had guests ranging from world leaders such as President Clinton and Margaret Thatcher to hard to get celebrities such as Brian Wilson and Marilyn Manson. He has also returned to ABC, where he anchored and wrote the coverage of the execution of Timothy McVeigh, anchored ABC News, and resumed filling in for Paul Harvey on 1600 radio stations around the world.
Gross became the youngest anchorman in ABC News history when at the age of 23 he anchored network newscasts from the ABC Chicago Bureau, while he was also the morning news anchor at WLS Radio. While at ABC he began gathering a string of awards for investigative reporting, especially on the plight of children. His documentary on runaway children in 1971 lay the groundwork of extensive legislation to no longer treat kids who runaway from abusive homes as juvenile delinquents. At WNBC, in New York, an investigative series led to changes in the way foster children were treated in several states. He has also won major journalism awards for reporting on International stories including the attempted assassination of the Pope.
As a reporter and talk show host, Gil has spoken to the leaders of the nation and the world as well as major figures in the arts ranging from Grace Slick and BB King to Leopold Stokowski, Jack Nicholson and Sidney Poitier. Gross has been an anchor and reporter for all 3 major networks covering politics, the arts, the Mideast, Northern Ireland and even both the North and South Poles. His broadcasts from Antarctica were the first live radio and TV broadcasts from the continent and included an on-line chat from McMurdo Station.
On TV, Gil has appeared on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, CNN, FOX NEWS CHANNEL, AMERICA’S TALKING, THE WEEK IN REVIEW, and various CBS broadcasts including CBS THIS MORNING, THE CBS EVENING NEWS with DAN RATHER and UP TO THE MINUTE. For CBS NEWS he filed TV reports on the coverage of the OJ Simpson trial that stirred controversy. He was a regular panelist on METRO WEEK IN REVIEW on WNET in New York. He also co-created NEWSWEEK ON AIR, Newsweek’s weekly broadcast that has been airing since 1982.
He has had his own shows on WABC, WOR, WNBC, WWDB as well as CBS Radio as well as having been a news correspondent for WCBS, CBS, NBC, ABC and RKO.
As a newsman and humorist he has combined his talents as Paul Harvey’s chief substitute at ABC and the main sub for Charles Osgood at CBS. He has also anonymously written topical comedy material for DJs such as Don Imus and Ted Brown.
Gil has been a board member of COMMUNITY ACCESS, serving the mentally ill homeless in New York, and STATEN ISLAND SPECIAL ATHLETES, which sponsors sports leagues for handicapped children. He has also created charitable events for radio including one, which ended a shortage of blood donations in Chicago.
Off the air he has been a consultant for several Off-Broadway shows ranging in topic from war to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire to the life of Buddy Holly. In the world of classical music he has commissioned pieces from composers such as David Diamond [a song cycle on the poetry of AE] and Allyn Reilly [piano pieces for Mr. Gross to perform]. He can presently be seen in “The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack,” the film about Jack Elliott.
He is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World and has a nationally syndicated column called “Gross Point.” He is finishing a first novel, “The A Train,” and ready to begin a second with the working title “Lesser Bird of Paradise.” A collection of his columns is due out in 2002.
His personal collection of LPs and CDs and tapes has reached an unwieldy 20,000 covering every type of music and spoken word. His personal library is way out of hand and his family cordially invites you to borrow some things and conveniently forget to return them.
Gil Gross lives with his wife, actress-singer Rhoda Bodzin, and their son, Spencer Darrow Gross.
An interview with Gil Gross
July 10, 2001
On November 6th, 2000 WWDB stopped broadcasting talk format at 9am just before Gil Gross was about to go on the air. A popular and respected voice in radio, Gil was brought in to do the AM drive news-oriented show along with Pat Farnack. He later moved to the 9-12 spot when Dr. Laura and Rush went to WPHT. While at ABC Gil became the youngest anchor at the age of 23. Gil then went to CBS where in 1992 he hosted the Gil Gross show, the first CBS talk program in 30 years.
Philly Talk Radio Online: Mr. Gross, Gil if I may, you've been heard doing the Paul Harvey spots, what else have you been up to over the past 8 months and what would you like to do more of in the future?
Gil Gross: I've been waiting until school is out for my son to make my final decision about where to go. I've been doing talk shows for KGO, KLAC, WMAL & KHOW, as well as doing the Paul Harvey "fills" and special events for ABC news such as Long Form Coverage and specials on the McVeigh execution. I'm deciding among several offers. What I'd like to do more of is whatever has me with my family more than anything else. Sounds like a Miss America answer, but it's true.
PTRO: What do you miss most about WWDB and doing a talk show in Philly?
Gil: I miss the people at WWDB. I've seen people write that we all hated each other. I only had trouble with one host and it was someone I really had very little contact with. It was a good group. Philly should be a great talk show market filled with local talk. I miss the last 3 months when management and consultants who were clueless about running a talk station finally just left us the hell alone. I think that last summer and early fall were the only shows I did that I really liked.
PTRO: Do you have any thoughts on the format flip that killed Philly's heritage talker, WWDB .. the first FM talk station in the country?
Gil: Well, I think the ratings speak for themselves. The company hadn't a clue as to how to run a talk station and if they cared at all about Philly they would have sold it. They would bring in talk Program Directors, from Casale to Mark Williams to Jeff Hillery, and just ignore them. With Alice, Jammin', Mix or whatever it is today, 80's music was the last thing that the market needed. As for WWDB being a heritage station, it was like having someone come in from out of town, buy the Liberty Bell and melt it down for scrap ... or something that rhymes with scrap!
PTRO: Anything special about talk in this market and what does this market need.
Gil: It needs compelling local talk. The problem at 'DB was they couldn't decide what it was. It called itself NewsTalk but Irv, Susan, and myself were the only ones who talked about news. Everyone on the air was talented but we shouldn't have been at the same place doing all those different things. For instance, they could have kept Kent Voss, Jay & Hilarie and killed the rest of us and gone lifestyle. WPHT is now a good classic conservative talker. I think the market still needs a young talker though WYSP seems headed there now, maybe a lifestyle station. A classic NewsTalker could work but it takes money and time. I don't see any companies going that way in this economy.
What it really did not need is what we did. Pat & I were brought in to do a news-oriented talk show. The concept I was brought in to do was a show where Pat would do news and then I'd go to the phones. We'd go to a street reporter getting reaction from people on the street ... Pat and I would then interview the newsmaker involved and then I'd take more calls. It would have worked. Two weeks before air they chickened out and decided to take on KYW which was insane and I told them that. The consultant, who was certifiable, had promos on the air telling listeners how they couldn't hear KYW in Bucks County but they could hear us. Who the hell was that spot for? Was it to convince people who couldn't hear a radio station not to listen to it? They were full of neat stuff like that.
The concept they sold me on was we'd do the news and then concentrate on the big talk story of the day. We never did it. Pat & I basically introduced John Brown. John was cool. It just wasn't the format we were supposed to be doing.
PTRO: With traditional talk radio seemingly on life support in this town do you have any thoughts on its future here and around the country?
Gil: Maybe Philly Talk is cursed. I hope not. I wish WPHT luck and hope they do a local morning drive show. It is healthy around the country. DB got out before the biggest talk radio ratings book in history. I'm on KGO this week. It's #1 and its sister station, KSFO, is #2 in San Francisco. That's market #4. We're just one below that at #5. That should be US. We're hurt somewhat because ABC and Clear Channel, the 2 big talk chains, don't own talk stations in Philly. If the Beasleys finally leave this market you could see 96.5 go talk again but Clear Channel is at capacity and ABC seems to be buying only for Radio Disney and ESPN so there's nothing in view for Philadelphia.
PTRO: You've done a great deal in your career, what part did you enjoy the most?
Gil: Working with musicians. Going to the North and South Poles. Meeting my wife at WNBC.
PTRO: If you hit the lottery for a huge sum and had the ability to purchase a major market signal would you or is it just too much trouble running a station and being a broadcaster?
Gil: I don't think it's really a problem. WWDB could have been reorganized in a year and have been a 5 rating radio station. Radio is, with very few exceptions, badly managed. Good General Managers that can meld programming, sales and promotion are hard to find. I've worked for people that can do it. Mickey Luckoff at KGO/KSFO, Lee Simonson when he was at WOR, Bob Hyland, Jr. at WCBS. Sure, I'd buy a station. I'd buy the former Jammin' from Greater Media and put on a kickass talk station that promoted like a rocker.
PTRO: We have a lot of young talent in this town, do you have any advice for those interested in making radio a career?
Gil: Be yourself. 'DB was probably the only place I violated that. When they threatened to fire me for being funny [Honest to God. True story!] I should have just let them do it. I had just moved my family, enrolled my kid in school and bought a house, and sacrificed myself for my family. I learned not to do that ... ever. It is a great career. For all the bitching and moaning you hear from people, it's a great life.
PTRO: Mellany Armstrong was always one of my favorites. It's been said that she has one of the sexiest news voices around, would you agree, or is your wife in the room?
Gil: Mellany has a great voice, is a nice person, and a terrific news person. If you like intelligent, hip women then the whole damn staff was pretty sexy. Fortunately, my wife is incredibly sexy and has great taste in men.
PTRO: What about Pat Farnack?
Gil: I miss her the most. Pat is probably the lifelong friend I made there, along with Larrimore... who I see a good deal. I have had some awful co-anchor experiences but Pat was a total pleasure. Smart, professional, good sense of humor. I loved working with her.
PTRO: Any other thoughts?
Gil: WPHT is all you're likely to have for the foreseeable future. Even if they do flip WPEN someday I don't think its signal allows it to be a major talk contender. If I had to guess, I'd think it will end up being leased or sold to ABC as an ESPN affiliate. I think you have to work on WPHT doing a morning show and a local show before Rush.
If you get a 2nd station, don't slaughter it for not being everything you want it to be. No station is or ever will be. Support what you like, rally for what you want, but don't slaughter what's not for you or you'll end up with nothing.
I'm not likely to ever be part of WPHT but even as you fight for what you want on the station, try to give Dom and Smerconish the benefit of the doubt. They're what you've got. You want the station to do well enough that someone else comes in as well and let them both look to serve you best, rather than have one roll over and die ala WWDB. Right now Philly has an undeserved reputation as a lousy talk market because of DB and the various 1210 formats of the past.
