The Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove interviews NBC “Meet the Press” Host David Gregory in his lengthy “Off the Air” feature. It’s a shock to receive the URL, which reads (in part): david-gregory-off-the-air.

Gregory (very much ON the air), began hosting the show in December 2008 after the beloved Tim Russert died.

Standout Quotes:

1. “We’re still on top after my first year.”

2. “I want to be agenda-setting.”

3. “It’s not who is a better hustler or booker.”

4. “I don’t think dancing on Meet the Press would be a good idea.”

5. “…those times when we got beaten on a Sunday, I hated it.”

Gregory tells Grove that ass-kissing “comes with the territory.” On people sucking up to him: “…in some cases people are nicer sometimes, they curry favor because they want to be on the program.”

Read Grove’s Gregory interview here.