Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) Resident Fellow David Frisk was a guest for one hour on “The Barry Farber Radio Show” on April 1. Farber was a pioneer of talk radio in New York in the early 1960s. One of his favorite guests, then and later, was the late William Rusher, publisher of New York-based National Review magazine and an early spokesman for the conservative movement. Farber has called the fearless, razor-sharp Rusher’s appearances and debates on his shows “the best of my best broadcast days.” The recent interview touched on Rusher’s career plus the history and current state of American conservatism.
Dr. Frisk was first interviewed by Farber in early 2012, upon publication of his highly acclaimed biography If Not Us, Who? William Rusher, National Review, and the Conservative Movement (ISI Books). “I so appreciate Barry’s offer to be on his show a second time,” Frisk said. “His generous comments about the book were creatively expressed, as befits a consummate radio professional. My hope is that listeners’ interest in the rich, instructive history of political conservatism in America was piqued or renewed—especially because its self-definition and morale haven’t been at their best in the past decade or more.”
As a Resident Fellow at the AHI since 2013, Dr. Frisk is responsible for its adult education courses and currently teaches “The Media and Politics.” His other classes have included “What is Conservatism?” and “Modern Statesmanship and Leadership.” He also leads student reading groups, mainly on political philosophy, at Hamilton College under AHI sponsorship. In addition, he is working on an edited volume of essays reflecting on the 1964 Goldwater campaign and a book that will analyze the extent of “fusion” between the conservative and classical-liberal philosophies. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University.
Farber’s career as a radio host began in 1960. Later, he was most famously a host on WOR and WMCA in New York. In 2002, the prominent industry publication Talkers magazine ranked him among the top ten radio talk show hosts of all time. Today, at a sprightly 84, Barry Farber still broadcasts for an hour each weekday evening on CRN-1 Digital Talk Radio, which promises that he is “as smooth and civilized as Jack Daniels whiskey, and with just as much kick.”
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