- Born:
- March 3, 1959, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. (age 67)
- Awards And Honors:
- Peabody Award
Ira Glass
-
Who is Ira Glass?
Ira Glass (born in Baltimore, Maryland, March 3, 1959) is an American television and radio personality. He is the popular host of This American Life, a radio program that began in 1995 and was later adapted for television.
Glass interned at National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington, D.C., in 1978. After graduating from Brown University in 1982 with a degree in semiotics, he started working for NPR. In 1989, Glass moved to Chicago to become a reporter for NPR’s Chicago bureau.
In 2006, Glass moved This American Life to New York City to work on a television adaptation of the program, which ran for two seasons.
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What is Ira Glass best known for hosting?
Ira Glass is an American television and radio personality best known as the host of This American Life, a radio program that began in 1995 and was later adapted for television.
Glass started at National Public Radio (NPR) in 1978 and held various positions, including tape cutter, copywriter, and producer. In 1989, he moved to Chicago to become a reporter for NPR’s Chicago bureau.
In November 1995, Glass's show, originally titled Your Radio Playhouse, first aired on Chicago’s public radio station, WBEZ, as a series of thematically related stories. It was nationally syndicated the following year as This American Life and received a Peabody Award within its first two years on the air.
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What is 'This American Life,' and how is Ira Glass involved with it?
Ira Glass (born in 1959) is an American radio and television personality and the host of This American Life, which began in 1995 as a radio program and was later adapted for television.
Glass's prominence in public radio led to an offer from the MacArthur Foundation to host a new radio show that would focus on Chicago-area writers and performers. Originally titled Your Radio Playhouse, the show first aired on Chicago’s public radio station, WBEZ, in November 1995 and was nationally syndicated the following year as This American Life.
In 2006, Glass moved This American Life to New York City to work on a television adaptation of the program, which ran for two seasons.
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How has Ira Glass influenced the world of radio and storytelling?
Ira Glass is an American radio and television personality best known as the host of This American Life, which began in 1995 and was later adapted for television.
Glass secured an internship at National Public Radio (NPR) in 1978 and worked in various roles after graduating from Brown University in 1982. In 1989, he became a reporter for NPR’s Chicago bureau.
His prominence led to an offer from the MacArthur Foundation to host a new radio show. This American Life became nationally syndicated the following year and received a Peabody Award within its first two years on the air. The program has also been honored with additional Peabody Awards and a Pulitzer Prize in 2020.
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What is unique about Ira Glass's style of interviewing and reporting?
Ira Glass is an American radio and television personality, known as the host of This American Life. The show uses thematically related stories narrated by various reporters, writers, and artists.
After an internship at National Public Radio (NPR) in 1978, Glass held positions such as tape cutter, copy writer, and producer, occasionally guest-hosting Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered. In 1989, he became a reporter for NPR’s Chicago bureau.
This American Life developed a strong cult following, leading to touring shows, CD collections, and movie adaptations. Glass moved the show to New York City in 2006 to work on a television adaptation, which ran for two seasons.
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How has Ira Glass contributed to television and other media besides radio?
Ira Glass is an American television and radio personality, who is the popular host of the radio program This American Life, which began in 1995 and was later adapted for television. The television version debuted on Showtime in 2007, with Glass's presence and framing of the stories receiving praise. Glass ended the TV show after its second season in 2008 to focus on producing both programs.
In addition to his radio and television work, Glass edited The New Kings of Nonfiction (2007), an anthology of essays. He also co-wrote and produced the film Sleepwalk with Me (2012) and was a producer on Mike Birbiglia’s film Don’t Think Twice (2016).
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Ira Glass (born March 3, 1959, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) is an American television and radio personality who was the popular host of a radio program (begun 1995 and later adapted for television) called This American Life.
In 1978 Glass talked his way into an internship at National Public Radio (NPR) in Washington, D.C. He quickly became enamoured with the medium, and he started working for NPR soon after graduating (1982) from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, with a degree in semiotics. Glass was a jack-of-all-trades at NPR, holding positions as wide-ranging as tape cutter, copy writer, and producer and occasionally serving as a guest host on Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered.
Glass moved to Chicago in 1989 to become a reporter for NPR’s Chicago bureau. His accounts of local attempts at school restructuring won awards from both the National Education Association and the Education Writers Association and further burnished his public radio star. Glass’s prominence led to an offer from the MacArthur Foundation to produce and host a new radio show that would focus on Chicago-area writers and performers. Originally titled Your Radio Playhouse, Glass’s show first aired on Chicago’s public radio station, WBEZ, in November 1995 as a series of thematically related stories narrated by various reporters, writers, and artists. It was an instant hit with listeners and was nationally syndicated the following year as This American Life. The show also drew critical acclaim, and it received a Peabody Award within its first two years on the air. (Peabody Awards are administered by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and they recognize meritorious service in television, radio, and other electronic media.) As This American Life continued, it developed a strong cult following, which led to unheard-of—by public radio standards—touring shows, CD collections, and movie adaptations of some of its stories (Unaccompanied Minors [2006], Come Sunday [2018], and Ode to Joy [2019]), on all of which Glass served as an executive producer or producer. The program was honoured with additional Peabody Awards in 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2016, as well as a Pulitzer Prize in 2020.
In 2006 Glass moved This American Life to New York City so that he could work on a television adaptation of the program. When the TV version debuted on Showtime the following year, many critics initially doubted that the radio show’s idiosyncratic format would translate to the small screen. The one facet of the television program that they apparently took for granted, however, was Glass, whose ingratiating TV presence and expert framing of the stories were singled out for praise by reviewers after the first installments aired. While some of the often-insular public radio fan base blanched at the idea of a radio show moving to television—Glass was called “Judas” at one speaking engagement soon after the deal was announced—the radio program (along with its associated podcast) continued to thrive alongside its televised sister show. At the same time, the challenge of producing both programs led Glass to end the TV show after its second season (2008).
In addition to his radio and television work, Glass edited The New Kings of Nonfiction (2007), an anthology of essays by such writers as David Foster Wallace, Malcolm Gladwell, and Bill Buford. He also cowrote and produced the film Sleepwalk with Me (2012), an adaptation of a one-man show starring comedian (and frequent This American Life contributor) Mike Birbiglia. Glass also was a producer on Birbiglia’s film Don’t Think Twice (2016), which was about a New York City improv comedy troupe.