Tom Barnard
He is currently the host of "The KQ Morning Show," which airs on KQRS-FM 92.5 from 5:30 to 9:20 AM Monday through Friday. Barnard and then partner Dan Culhane started the show, which featured sports reports from WCCO sports anchor Mark Rosen. At one point the team of Barnand and Culhane spearheaded a fairly successful write-in campaign to elect Rosen For Governor. Culhane and Rosen were eventually pushed out of the broadcast in a succession of personnel moves which also resulted in the departure of Tony Lee (popular soundman and producer) For years the broadcast has been the highest-rated morning radio show in Minnesota, and holds the distinction of the highest ratings of any morning show in a local market nationwide.
Before coming to KQRS Barnard worked at numerous stations including KSTP(AM). For most of the 1980s Barnard was the booth announcer for KSTP-TV.
With the recent introduction of the podcasting technology, the show has reached national and international audiences, but Barnard has allegedly rejected numerous offers to nationally syndicate the show. Regardless of the growth in his show's market, Barnard continuously assures listeners that "The Morning Show" will maintain its focus on the news, weather, sports, and traffic of the Twin Cities.
Although he has recently retired from voice-over work, for many years Barnards voice was heard in various markets, introducing shows and appearing on commercials. In 2006, he recieved a Marconi award for his broadcasting popularity.
Despite his enormous popularity in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and fame from his voice-over career, Barnard is very reclusive, refusing virtually all media interviews and rarely making public appearances. However, the crew of the KQRS Morning Show does make an annual trip to Las Vegas in November, which brings in enough Minnesota fans of the show to fill an entire hotel.
Independence Party Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura, was once a regular on the show. When he left to work for another radio station, Barnard would mock and make fun of him. He stopped shortly before the 1998 election and congratulated Ventura upon winning the governorship in 1998, but had a falling out with Barnard shortly after and is now the butt of numerous jokes.
