Ralph Barbieri
Encyclopedia
Ralph Barbieri is a sports radio
personality
in San Francisco, California
. Along with Tom Tolbert
, Barbieri hosts the afternoon sports radio show The Razor and Mr. T on KNBR
. The show has been the highest rated show in the Bay Area
in the 25-54 male demographic since 2000.
for Sport magazine
before he joined KNBR in 1984 to host his own sports talk show. In 1996, he was teamed with Tolbert, a former NBA
player. Barbieri's nickname is "The Razor" because of his raspy voice, thought by some listeners to resemble a barber's electric razor, and his "no-nonsense" approach to interviews. The nickname, which may have also been inspired by his surname's resemblance to "barber," was given to him by longtime San Francisco Chronicle
columnist Herb Caen
. In 2007, Barbieri renewed his four-year contract with KNBR which now runs through November 2011.
and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
. In 1995, Barbieri avoided jail time by pleading no contest
to a third-offense drunk driving charge; He spent 120 days in a residential treatment program, instead. Following the incident, Barbieri settled down, giving up what he called "25 years of sex, drugs and Rock and Roll." In 2000, Barbieri fathered a son, Tayte Ali, who was the product of in-vitro fertilization, using an egg donor and a surrogate mother. In 2004, the American Diabetes Association
named Ralph Barbieri one of five "Bay Area Father of the Year" Award winners.
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Along with Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
, Barbieri hosts the afternoon sports radio show The Razor and Mr. T on KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
. The show has been the highest rated show in the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in the 25-54 male demographic since 2000.
Career
Barbieri was a stringerStringer (journalism)
In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....
for Sport magazine
Sport magazine
SPORT magazine was an American sports magazine. Launched in September 1946 by the New York-based publisher, Macfadden Publications, SPORT pioneered the generous use of color photography – it carried eight full colour plates in its first edition – and almost immediately became half-bible, half-guru...
before he joined KNBR in 1984 to host his own sports talk show. In 1996, he was teamed with Tolbert, a former NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player. Barbieri's nickname is "The Razor" because of his raspy voice, thought by some listeners to resemble a barber's electric razor, and his "no-nonsense" approach to interviews. The nickname, which may have also been inspired by his surname's resemblance to "barber," was given to him by longtime San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
columnist Herb Caen
Herb Caen
Herbert Eugene Caen was a Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco journalistwhose daily column of local goings-on, social and political happenings,...
. In 2007, Barbieri renewed his four-year contract with KNBR which now runs through November 2011.
Education
Barbieri holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of San FranciscoUniversity of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Personal life
Barbieri is reportedly a vegetarian and a believer in animal rightsAnimal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
. In 1995, Barbieri avoided jail time by pleading no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to a third-offense drunk driving charge; He spent 120 days in a residential treatment program, instead. Following the incident, Barbieri settled down, giving up what he called "25 years of sex, drugs and Rock and Roll." In 2000, Barbieri fathered a son, Tayte Ali, who was the product of in-vitro fertilization, using an egg donor and a surrogate mother. In 2004, the American Diabetes Association
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is a United States-based association working to fight the consequences of diabetes, and to help those affected by diabetes...
named Ralph Barbieri one of five "Bay Area Father of the Year" Award winners.