'Fresh Air' Creator, Former WHYY/Philadelphia And WBFO/Buffalo PD David Karpoff Dies

Karpoff

Condolences to family and friends of former WHYY/PHILADELPHIA and WBFO/BUFFALO PD DAVID KARPOFF, the creator of "FRESH AIR," who died OCTOBER 27th at 66.

KARPOFF was the PD at WBFO in 1970-73 and then moved to WHYY, where he created "FRESH AIR," now a staple of NPR's schedule, and hired TERRY GROSS, still the show's host, in 1975, replacing JUDY BLANC.  GROSS, at the NPR website, remembers KARPOFF as taking "a big chance on me. Although I was already co-hosting a similar program at WBFO in BUFFALO, where DAVID had formerly been the program director, I was only 24, and I was pretty inexperienced.  When I came to PHILADELPHIA, DAVID gave me the freedom to do what I wanted with FRESH AIR, and he offered his support and friendship at a time when I really needed it. I had a daily 3-hour show to fill, in a city I was unfamiliar with, far away from old friends and family."

After WHYY, KARPOFF attended the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE and became a freelance writer.for almost 26 years.

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