Thomas 'Tom' Mark Paul Barnard (born November 7, 1951) is an American

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

host and former

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

talent. He retired as the host of '' The KQ92 Morning Show'' on 92 KQRS but currently hosts Tom Barnard Show on 105 The Ticket from 6:00pm to 7:00pm both broadcast in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The show on 105 The Ticket makes up the third hour of ''The Tom Barnard Podcast'' known as "The Ticket" where the first two hours of the podcast is known as "The Show". As of February, 2014, the podcast was no longer broadcast on 105 The Ticket

Personal

Barnard was born in

Long Prairie, Minnesota Long Prairie is a town in Todd County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,458 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. and the oldest town in the County. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a to ...

and raised in North Minneapolis. He and his wife Kathryn Brandt live in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota. Edina began as a small farming and mil ...

Career

Before coming to KQRS, Barnard worked at numerous stations including

WDGY WDGY (740 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Hudson, Wisconsin, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It is owned by WRPX, inc. and airs a Classic Hits/Oldies radio format. The station's studios and offices are ...

and KSTP (as "The Catman"). Until 1986, he was the booth announcer for

KSTP-TV KSTP-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based Hubbard Broadcasting, which has owned the ...

. Barnard, and then-partner Dan Culhane, started the "Tom and Dan" show in 1986 featuring sports reports from

WCCO-TV WCCO-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the CBS network to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities area. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by th ...

sports anchor Mark Rosen. At one point, the team of Barnard and Culhane spearheaded a write-in campaign to elect Rosen For

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

. Culhane was eventually pushed out of the broadcast in a personnel move, while Rosen was "persuaded" by WCCO TV's parent company to move his morning sports to WCCO-AM. Barnard gave an in-depth interview to the St. Paul Pioneer Press in which he discussed his strained relationship with his deceased father and compared his radio persona to that of his actual personality. Earlier in his career, Barnard and Culhane were guests with two other Twin Cities radio show duos on a local morning television show in 1988. Although he is semi-retired from

work, Barnard can currently be heard in radio ads for

Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the l ...

. For many years Barnard's voice was heard in various markets, introducing shows and appearing on commercials. On September 29, 2009's Morning Show wrap-up, Barnard casually mentioned that he's planning to retire from live radio on December 21, 2012. Tom specifically said Terri would take over the Morning show, moments later the discussion moved to a "play off" for host during the year 2012. Tom explained that the 21st is a Friday and it's just before Christmas. On March 29, 2013, Barnard announced on the air that he would be entering treatment for issues in regard to anger, not substance abuse as previously reported. In February 2020, Barnard and Cumulus Media announced Barnard had signed an 8 year extension to remain at KQRS until 2028, when he will be 76 years old. In a recent interview with KSTP-TV he has announced hi
retirement
His final show was December 23, 2022.

Controversy

Barnard has long prided himself on what he refers to as his "insensitive" humor, notably in 1998 when, while working for KQRS, he made racist statements on-air following an influx in Hmong refugee immigration to the Twin Cities and subsequently declared Hmong immigrants should "assimilate or hit the goddamn road." After receiving criticism for his statements, Barnard responded on-air on October 20, 1998: “I will attack who I want to attack.” Following Barnard's remarks, Hmong activists formed Community Action Against Racism (CAAR), a "multiracial coalition of whites, Latinos, and Asian and African Americans", which organized and drew attention to the issue. CAAR demanded an apology and "successfully organized an economic boycott of the station." While KQRS issued an apology, many in the Twin Cities still call for Barnard's termination as Barnard has continued to make offensive and derogatory statements about "Somalis, African Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans" on air.

Awards

Barnard won the 2006

Marconi award :''"Marconi Award" links here. Note that in the Netherlands, the radio academy awards are also called Marconi Awards.'' The Marconi Radio Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to the top radio stations and ...

for Large Market Personality of the Year. Barnard was inducted into the

radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...

in 2017, and the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2018. The Marconi awards recognize excellence in radio broadcasting.

References

External links

KQRS Morning Show
(official site)
Radiotapes.com
Aircheck samples of Tom Barnard's radio career including WDGY-AM as "Catman," KQRS "Cat and Kincaid" and additional current airchecks from the KQRS Morning Show.

Profile of Tom Barnard from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 10, 2010.
Tom Barnard Podcast
(official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Tom 1951 births Living people People from Long Prairie, Minnesota American talk radio hosts Radio personalities from Minneapolis