Longtime Bay Area journalist Ray Taliaferro found dead

[hauweg]

Source: Kron4 news

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) - The body of longtime journalist and radio host, Ray Taliaferro, has been found in Kentucky, his family confirmed.

There are limited details surrounding his death, but Taliaferro's son Raphael tells KRON4 that his body was discovered in a wooded around about a mile from where he was last seen.

Read more: https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/longtime-bay-area-journalist-ray-taliaferro-found-dead/1635471062?fbclid=IwAR0XdgZlc7V5tVlb9MtFDzTc8AvhGv98Z-mrlmc0bb8t4E4jYYWeIoq_ouY

[Judi Lynn]

1. Bad news. He was well known as a progressive Democrat, as well. n/t

[CountAllVotes]

2. So sad!

RIP Ray!

[Algernon Moncrieff]

3. I listened to Ray doing overnights on KGO in the mid 80s

He was one of the more successful - maybe the last of the successful - guys to do phone-in/topical talk on the political left.

He was also African American and I seem to recall that he indicated he might be related to Booker T Washington.

Sorry to see this - I hope Ray is in a better place.

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. Yes. He was a voice of sanity in the evening as I lay in bed

I loved how he'd take all callers. But for the whacked out wingnuts, he'd have a dial on their volume switch that he'd first warn them about, then if they kept on their loud breathless run-on sentences of RW talking points, he'd turn down their volume so he could get a word in edgewise. Then turn it up so they could answer a question he put to them. Sometimes they'd still be rambling the same nonsense as when he first turned them down, as they couldn't actually answer simple questions without sounding like hypocrites.

I really wish contemporary CNN and MSNBC hosts would have a dial switch like that for guests like Kelly Anne Conway.

[not fooled]

4. IIRC KGO

the end of his career with KGO came about when the station got taken over and handed to con mgmt, at which point it took a turn to the right.

[CountAllVotes]

6. I have the last show he did

It is on an old computer with XP on it that still works.

It was beyond disgraceful the way KGO basically fired the whole staff in one day without notice and that included Ray Taliaferro.

I no longer listen to KGO San Francisco. Fuck them.

[yuiyoshida]

5. I have more here

https://www.democraticunderground.com/104020212

Note: I debated putting this in LBN because Ray was local to San Francisco. I was told that LBN was for National News, and since Ray was only on the West Coast, he was considered "Local-talent" , not a National Figure, like say a "Larry King" was National. So, that was my reason to keep it within the boundaries of the California Forum.

[KWR65]

7. RIP Ray. I listened to him years ago on KGO AM 810 Radio when I worked a weekend night shift in CA.

[mr_lebowski]

9. +1 Used to listen to Ray and the other host that got busted for sending kiddie porn

to someone, I forget his name ... I actually preferred the Perv's show overall, but he and Ray definitely kept me somewhat sane in the earlier days of the W-show, used to listen darn near nightly circa 2002-2003.

I even called into Ray's show one time and got on for a bit ... I was deep into LIHOP at that time so I was kinda ranting about it ...

[Algernon Moncrieff]

10. You are thinking of Bernie Ward

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Ward

In the 80s, he used to do weekends and fill-in spots.

IIRC, the lineup back then was
Morning news (Ted Weigant and another name I don't recall)
Ronn Owens
Lee Rogers
Jim Eason (they did a little contrived sniping between Jim & Ray, but they'd team up to do a charity telethon)
Evening News
Michael Krasne
A slot that rotated a lot (Bernie was in this slot often)
and Ray Taliaferro did overnights.

[mr_lebowski]

11. That is indeed the man ... that made me very sad ... I liked his show & he seemed like a good

guy ... very smart and spoke very well for our side.

[KWR65]

13. That was Bernie Ward. He is out of prison now and retired.

[mr_lebowski]

14. Correct. I hope he got treatment and is doing better ...

IIRC, he grew up in some Church, had religious parents ... might've even been Catholic. Think he was a Pastor at some point as well.

Wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't abused himself as a youth, IOW. Science shows there tends to be a vicious cycle with this behavior.

[KWR65]

15. He is a former Catholic Priest.

What he did was send a child porn picture to an online female Dominatrix that reported him to the FBI.

[tirebiter]

12. I was a Ray Taliefaro fan but before that

I was locked in to Ira Blue. Ray used to survive on 4 hours of sleep every day.