Talk radio legend Barry Farber has joined the “Talk America” network with the hope eventually of hosting an “all-night” show.
Farber’s nationally syndicated program moved from the Talk Radio Network three weeks ago.
“We’re very pleased to have Barry,” Paul Lyle, president of Talk America, told WorldNetDaily. “He’s one of the best talk show hosts in the business. Has been since he first signed on the air.”
Farber’s program is known for its conservative philosophy mixed with warmth, charm and intellect. He speaks dozens of languages fluently, including Russian and two Chinese dialects. As a newsman, he witnessed the Hungarian and Cuban revolutions in the 1950s. Farber won “Talk Show Host of the Year” in 1991.
“He’s an institution in talk radio in America,” said Yubi Levin, who directs the broadcast division of IDT Corporation, Talk America’s parent company.
IDT, a long distance telephone provider, bought the radio network and “invited me to come over” with a “very tempting offer,” Farber said.
IDT is pouring money into a new state-of-the-art broadcast studio it plans to open in May in Newark, N.J, where the company is headquartered.
Farber’s Talk America show, on more than 60 stations, currently has a 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. time slot, but he hopes to move to an “all-night” program similar to one he hosted on New York City’s WOR.
“This is my 42nd year on the air, but those 10 years doing the all-night were the only ones that really mattered,” Farber told WorldNetDaily. “The others were OK, but those 10 years were the ones that did a lot of things for me.”
Lyle said Talk America is exploring the possibility of Farber taking on a late-night show.
Farber envisions a 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. program that would regularly include a panel of four or five delving deeply into an issue. The show would be immediately repeated in its entirety.
“This worked exceedingly well in the ’70s when there was great competition for serious issues,” he said. “I don’t mean dull, a lot of laughs, good people, but we discussed issues. Got around the table and talked about the Common Market, about world communism.”
Now would be a good time to revive that format during the late-night time slot, he believes.
“There’s no reason why that shouldn’t work, and there is no competition,” Farber said. “This one is talking about flying saucers, and the other one is trying to see how far he can push the scatological envelope.”
He emphasizes informative guests on his program more than people who are well-known.
“A lot of people were trying to impress with big names,” he said. “That impresses for about 18 seconds. People would turn the dial and say, ‘Listen that’s Farrah Fawcett, that’s Farrah Fawcett, how do you like that?’ Then they turn the dial. ‘That was Farrah Fawcett.’ We don’t aim to impress with names, but to engross with good talkers.”
