It All Works Out in the End

Bob has asked Tom a lot of questions. Some of those questions haven't gotten answers...until now. This episode is all about those questions without resolutions. No stone left unturned for this show.

This episode marks the beginning of the KQRS portion of Tom Barnard's life story. Bob Sansevere focuses on how Tom was recruited, what the station was like when he arrived, and how the KQ Morning Show evolved into a major success.

Tom recalls how his distinctive voice caught people's attention at Brown Institute, leading him to pursue voiceover work in his early twenties.His first agent, Victoria, helped launch a career that took off almost immediately, with Tom quickly booking a full schedule of commercial work.Tom describes balancing his KQRS morning show with frequent trips to Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to record commercials, often flying home in time for the next morning's broadcast.Bob remembers watching Tom record a Western Auto commercial perfectly in one take, something Tom says was common throughout his career.Tom explains how his natural reading ability, distinctive voice, and conversational delivery helped him stand apart from traditional booming radio announcers.The two discuss major advertising clients, including Target and Northwest Airlines, and the substantial money Tom earned through national commercials and residual payments.Tom shares memories of working alongside famous actors, encountering celebrities in New York, and building relationships throughout the entertainment industry.He reflects on the competitive Minneapolis voiceover market, the importance of unions, and how the industry has changed with the arrival of artificial intelligence.

This episode follows Tom through the next stage of his early career, from steadily moving up the schedule at KSTP to leaving for WDGY, a decision he says he still regrets. He talks about the veteran broadcasters who taught him the business, earning just $11,000 a year, and eventually moving from radio into record promotion with Ariola and Capitol Records. At Capitol, Tom suddenly found himself working with acts like the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, the Knack and Ricky Nelson, while learning the business side of entertainment and how record companies influenced radio airplay. The conversation also covers his stint at WAPE in Jacksonville, his developing on-air personality, getting fired and returning to Minnesota, and ultimately discovering that his distinctive voice and ability to read copy naturally could become an entirely separate career in voiceover.

Attending Brown Institute and learning the basics of broadcastingFeeling culturally out of place at Brown after growing up in North MinneapolisDeveloping a natural on-air style instead of the traditional “disc jockey voice”Getting his first radio job at KDAN while still a teenagerThe first time he went on the airMoving from KDAN to 1500 KSTP after being noticed by people in the industryStarting at KSTP doing overnights and weekends