Dan Barreiro

Dan Barreiro grew up wanting to be a newspaperman but never stopped believing in the magic of radio. Even as he became the lead front-page sports columnist for the Star Tribune at the age of 31, and later chronicled the Twins’ 1987 and 1991 World Series runs, the North Stars leaving town, and the Timberwolves coming to town, radio whispered to him.

He finally stopped writing for the Star Tribune in 2004, because by then, radio was more than a whisper. He had never forgotten his belief that the microphone could offer as valuable and rewarding a way to connect as the typewriter he grew up with. Finally, given the opportunity in Minnesota to fulfill the dream, he made the transition seem effortless. After making occasional appearances on the KFAN morning show, he began co-hosting the afternoon drive-time show on KFAN with Chad Hartman in 1992, then went solo in 2002, and has remained entrenched as the king of the afternoon drive ever since (He also hosts a popular Sunday show called Sunday Sermons).

His program, like his writing career—which included feature writing and a weekend magazine humor column in Dallas—has defied labels. Despite being on a sports station, he has always prided himself on creating a free-wheeling, opinion-based show that offers a distinctive blend of not only the meat and potatoes of sports but also news, politics, and pop culture. His meltdowns are legendary and his interviews tough, insightful, and provocative.

Mike Tice Live, the no-holds-barred, controversial program he co-hosted with the former Vikings head coach, broke the mold of the predictable coach’s show. His lineup of guests—including Lou Nanne, Glen Mason, Flip Saunders, Rick Majerus, Col. David Hackworth, Ron Rosenbaum, Pat Kessler, Jimmy Jam Harris, Robert Smith, Craig Kilborn, Pulitzer Prize finalist Gerald Posner, and Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss—is second to none.

Contributing guest Joseph Califano, who had key jobs in the three presidential administrations, including working as Lyndon Johnson’s chief domestic advisor in the White House, calls Barreiro, “One of America’s finest and most engaging broadcasters.” He also co-hosts with his outstanding radio producer Justin Gaard, a three-time Upper Midwest Emmy-nominated TV show called Enough Said on Fox 9.