Barry Farber, conservative talk radio pioneer and author, passes away a day after his 90th birthday

Barry Farber, an original pioneer of talk radio who shared his intelligent conservatism with untold millions of listeners during a career in broadcasting that spanned 60 years, has passed away. One day after his 90th birthday on Tuesday, Farber died peacefully at home in New York City, with members of his family at his bedside. On Tuesday, a live program celebrating Farber’s birthday was on in his time slot, featuring his younger brother Jerry, his two daughters Celia and Bibi, and his producer Dahlia Weinstein. During the program, Barry Farber took the mic briefly and spoke his last words that would ever be broadcast.

In 2009, Talkers Magazine placed Farber at number nine on its list of the most influential talk show hosts in American history. In 2014, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 1960, 28 years prior to the arrival of Rush Limbaugh on national radio and more than three decades before the Internet and the new media gave citizens a wide range of information choices, Farber began broadcasting his own radio talk show on WINS 1010 in New York City. In the decades that followed, he and a small group of talented and innovative broadcasters brought alternative political insights to mainstream audiences on some of the biggest radio stations – and later, on major radio networks – in the country.

Barry Farber at the mic in the 1980s

A native of North Carolina, for most of his adult life Farber was based in New York City. After several years on the air at WINS, the Barry Farber Show moved to another 50 kw powerhouse station, WOR AM 710.

A number of successful members of the media have cited Farber as a major, positive inspiration and influence in their career choices, including John B. Wells and Sean Hannity. Hannity often mentioned Farber on his radio and Fox News television shows as one of his mentors.

Wells and Farber were guests on each other’s shows, with Wells appearing on the Farber program again on April 22. Apprised of Farber’s death Wednesday evening, Wells replied in an email “I’m grateful to have known him. Amazing. He never quit working all the way to the 90 Line and then checked out of here. That’s what legends do.

From Twitter

Celia Ingrid Farber
@CeliaFarber
My father Barry Farber, beloved, died this evening, at 6:25 pm. He was home, in bed, and we were all with him. He turned 90 just yesterday. He told me recently that his concept of death was “going somewhere I’ve never been before, like Finland or Estonia.” May God rest his soul.

Jim Smith
@unrealjimsmith
He lived ‘til the age of 90 and was active until the end. Something to celebrate. R.I.P., Barry Farber.

Pompousitus
@pompousitus
I used to listen to him on the radio, as I kid (I am 58 y.o.). I believed then, and believe now, that radio, properly done, is the best medium, followed by printed books. Always enjoyed listening to Mr. Barry Farber.

I was able to listen to the murderer’s row of Talk Radio for a while on WABC-770, Dave Dawson, Rush Limbaugh (10-Noon local show) and Bob Grant. After Dave Dawson, Barry Farber had the late morning slot when NYC picked up Rush’s national show. Farber/Rush/Bob Grant. WABC had Joy Behar and Lynn Samuels as change of pace lefties. Lynn Samuels was the rare honest liberal, and gave a sympathetic interview to pro-life icon Joan Andrews when Miss Andrews was incarcerated in Florida. Bob Grant called her the fishwife, and she took it in stride, but Barry Farber was able to get her into a rage at will with his sonorous, slow, but unending southern soliloquys.

There was a time in the early 1990s when WABC in New York City had the top-rated radio show in almost every weekday time slot. They had Jay Diamond on in the mornings, former mayor Ed Koch on from 11-12, Rush Limbaugh from 12-3, Bob Grant from 3-7, and then someone like Curtis Sliwa on late in the evening before Art Bell's "Coast to Coast" was on overnight.

The guy was erratic and all over the map politically over the years, but I honestly thought Jay Diamond was the most talented on-air radio personality I've ever heard.

Over the years I had the great pleasure of being a guest on Barry’s show many times. It was always a great honor because I knew he was one of the greatest Conservative talk show hosts who ever worked our air waves. His stories were just so fun! When he married Sara he called me to tell the story of how he had reconnected with her after many years. When he got to the end of his story he said in his best North Carolina drawl, “Is it true that at my age Midicare picks up half of the honeymoon?”
Another time he said, “Hey I was at this big dinner the other night and after they finished announcing all the important people I thought, Wow I’m the only one here I never heard of.”
Great guy and lots of fun. Now he is gone and we will not see his likes again. Rest In Peace my friend Barry.

I can remember listening in the same radio market and mostly on WOR to Long John Knebel (spelling?) Who often featured The Amazing Randi before Barry Farber in the 1950s.

Before the days when politics were permitted, thanks to Ronald Reagan, these guys would do shows about abominable snowman etc. as a kid I would stay up half the night listening to them keeping the radio quiet so the parents wouldn't know.

Barry Farber was a great radio personality and not just for his endurance, he was nearly as good as Jean Shepherd in spinning a yarn and painting a verbal picture for those of us listening in the dark.

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