David Brudnoy

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David Brudnoy
David Brudnoy

David Brudnoy (June 5, 1940 – December 9, 2004) was a popular talk radio host in Boston from 1976 to 2004. Most recently, his regular commentary show aired on WBZ radio. He is most widely known for espousing his libertarian views on a wide range of political issues. Thanks to WBZ's wide signal reach, he gained a following from across the United States as well as Canada. On December 9, 2004, he succumbed to Merkel cell carcinoma after it had metastasized to his lungs and kidneys.

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[edit] Education and background

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, to a Jewish family, Brudnoy also grew up in Georgia and Texas before moving to New England.

His degrees included a B.A. from Yale, M.A.s from Harvard and Brandeis, and a Ph.D. from Brandeis, mostly in East Asian studies and history. He received an honorary doctorate from Emerson College in 1996.

As a professor, Brudnoy taught classes or was a guest lecturer at many major colleges and universities throughout Boston and New England, as well as in Texas: Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University, Merrimack College, University of Rhode Island, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, as well as Texas Southern University. Student evaluations for his courses at B.U. indicate that they were very well received.

[edit] Career

Brudnoy began a career in broadcast commentary in 1971 on Boston's local PBS television station, WGBH-TV.

In 1976, David Brudnoy took over as host of a friend's radio show on WHDH, in the midst of the city's unrest over forced busing and desegregation in schools. He took to the job with ease, and increasingly gained popularity. From 1981 to 1986, he appeared on former news station WRKO before moving to local stalwart WBZ. The top-rated talk radio host in New England, he appeared in a regular weekday evening slot until his retirement. (At the end of his career, Brudnoy was—according to station promotions—the top-rated evening talk host in the United States.)

Over the years, Brudnoy also appeared as a news commentator and host on local TV stations besides WGBH, including WCVB-TV (ABC), WNAC-TV, and WBZ-TV (CBS). He has also appeared nationally on the CBS Morning News. He has written movie reviews for Boston magazine and local community newspapers. During the 1970s he wrote articles for the National Review, and befriended its editor William F. Buckley. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, and the Saturday Evening Post.

In 1990, his WBZ show was canceled, but a mass public response, including a letter writing campaign sponsored by the Boston Globe, helped lead to his quick return to the station's lineup.

Brudnoy's popularity escalated him into the Boston media elite, and he was the host of numerous social gatherings at his upscale Back Bay apartment, mixing students, media personalities, and politicians. After his bout with AIDS, Brudnoy began broadcasting from his apartment four nights out of five, welcoming his radio guests into his home and eagerly offering them cocktails.

Brudnoy was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award from the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts, and nominated for the "Personality of the Year" Marconi Award, both in 1997.

[edit] Politics and sensibilities

Brudnoy's strongly libertarian opinions were expressed with wit and thoughtfulness. He described his own manner as "less ideological and more empathic," in contrast to more recent figures of conservative talk radio. Many regard him as a unique radio host who was effective at injecting a different perspective into the political dialogue rather than merely cultivating a particular political segment of the population.

His non-partisan, thoughtful way of discussing issues helped him gain a large following despite being based in a staunchly Democratic region. Political figures from both ends of the spectrum speak highly of his contributions to the local and national dialogue, with Republican state governor Mitt Romney praising him as "a New England treasure", and liberal Democratic senator Edward Kennedy lauding him as "informed, bright, and constantly challenging".

In 2000, Brudnoy declared himself a member of the Libertarian Party.

Brudnoy was an agnostic who disliked organized religion and criticized religious tracts as intellectually worthless. During his late-2004 bout of serious illness he admitted he had prayed in various ways, including that of Catholicism, but said he did not expect to go to either a Heaven or a Hell.

[edit] Homosexuality

Brudnoy came to realize that he was gay early in life but successfully hid the fact for many years. While at Texas Southern, he "adopted" a young, recently-single mother, Patricia Kennedy, and for many years Brudnoy and Kennedy enjoyed a relationship of mutual convenience, with Brudnoy able to use Kennedy as a cover for his homosexuality, and in return serving as a surrogate father to her two young children. Brudnoy did not come out to his own parents until his illness, but did come out to his aunt and uncle after they lost a son (also gay) to AIDS.

Brudnoy came out publicly in 1994, after returning from hospitalization to overcome his long-hidden fight with AIDS. Having attracted a largely conservative audience based on his political views, traditional anti-gay conservatives rejected him, though others admired him for his courage. Despite the controversy, his ratings reportedly did not suffer as a result. The controversy was rekindled somewhat after the release in 1997 of his autobiography, Life Is Not a Rehearsal, in which he described a history of sexual excesses. Brudnoy did not attempt to mask his sexuality during his adult life, but also made no direct indications of it; it was well-known among his colleagues in broadcasting long before he spoke publicly about it. His closest and oldest friend was psychologist Dr. Ward Cromer, with whom he took dozens of trips abroad, and who was incorrectly assumed by many to be Brudnoy's life partner. Neither of them used that phraseology to describe their relationship, preferring a more accurate title of "best friend".

[edit] Illness

Brudnoy was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1988, but kept his treatment a secret until his condition became serious after contracting pneumonia in 1994. He was absent from public life for some time to fight the disease. Comatose and near death at one point, he eventually returned to reasonable health. Upon return, Brudnoy announced the creation of a fund to fight the disease. His illness inspired him to publish a memoir, Life is not a Rehearsal (ISBN 0-571-19933-X), in 1997.

In September 2003, he was diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer. After hospitalization and treatment, including another period of being considered near death, the cancer went into apparent remission, and Brudnoy returned to work, with a strained voice, in March 2004. However, in November 2004, doctors discovered that cancer had spread into his lungs and kidneys, forcing him to undergo dialysis in addition to cancer treatment.

Brudnoy checked into Massachusetts General Hospital on December 3, 2004. On December 8, Brudnoy made his last radio appearance on his show via a deathbed interview with WBZ reporter Gary LaPierre. The following day, Brudnoy ordered his doctors to remove all artificial life support systems, leaving him only with oxygen, morphine, and minimal food. He died hours after having the support removed, on December 9, 2004.

After a few days of on-air remembrance, Brudnoy's time slot was assigned to Paul Sullivan, who had previously taken over two hours of Brudnoy's shift when Brudnoy's illness necessitated reducing his show from five hours to three.

A public memorial was held for Brudnoy on February 27, 2005, at the Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston, arranged by his WBZ colleagues and Emerson College (which had previously awarded him an honorary doctorate).

[edit] External links

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