The Radio Hall of Fame is conducting its annual election for its new class of inductees, and two talk radio pioneers well known to Newsmax readers are nominees — Bob Grant and Barry Farber.
In my opinion, they should be elected with 100 percent of the vote.
Why?
These two radio greats have given us what we today take for granted (no pun intended): conservative thought translated into entertaining radio all across our nation — 24/7.
It wasn't always this way.
Fifty years ago another radio legend, Barry Gray, took the first on-air phone call during his New York City show conducted from a midtown restaurant. That launched the "listener call-in" format that has evolved into the genius of the genre: We the people are the stars of talk radio.
Bob Grant began working in radio in the 1940s. But it was during his time at WABC in New York in the 1980s when talk radio emerged as a powerful force. From his WABC platform on the New York powerhouse station, Grant has been credited with electing Rudy Giuliani over David Dinkins as New York City mayor, Christie Todd Whitman over Jim Florio as governor of New Jersey, and George Pataki over Mario Cuomo as governor of New York.
After a brief detour at WOR in New York, Grant is now back on his perch at WABC. With his passionate monologues about the declining national culture, Bob remains a force.
And Barry Farber — with his encyclopedic knowledge of history and language (he has studied 26 languages and is fluent is several of them) — was along with Grant, leading the way long before Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham came on to the scene.
Farber launched his radio career in New York in 1960, and began hosting a national talk show on the ABC Radio Network in 1990.
He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1970, then briefly left talk radio in 1977 to run unsuccessfully for New York City mayor.
In 2002, Talkers magazine identified Farber as the 9th greatest radio talk-show host of all time. He became a regular columnist and pundit for Newsmax in April 2000, and is now on the Talk Radio Network, hosting a weekend show and filling in for weekday hosts.
If there wasn't a Barry Farber or Bob Grant, I have no doubt there wouldn't be a Rush Limbaugh doing his wonderful work today.
Luckily for all of us, these two all-time greats are still broadcasting, and we can vote for them to be inducted in the Radio Hall of Fame this coming November.
I encourage Newsmax readers to vote for these talk-radio giants.
Just go to www.radiohof.org and cast your votes for Farber and Grant.
Once there, Bob is nominated in the “Local or Regional — Active” category and Barry in the “National — Pioneer” category.
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