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He is one of the talk radio genre’s best-known purveyors of what some call “intelligent talk.” While that label might sound pretentious, it is an appropriate description of the brand of talk radio Boston’s David Brudnoy has practiced for over 25 years.

He began his talk radio career at WHDH, Boston in 1976 when that town’s public debate over school desegregation and busing was at a boiling point. He was instantly at home taking on the polarizing local issues as well as exploring larger socio-political topics. He left WHDH in 1981 to join WRKO and then moved to WBZ in 1986 where he’s been ever since (except for a brief period in 1990 when someone made the foolish decision to drop his program - which incited a furious public backlash.)

David Brudnoy is not only at ease discussing everything from politics to pop culture but he’s extremely adept. His smart approach to monologue and interviewing makes him entertaining and informative. He is the kind of talk show host who can interview an author or college professor and make the conversation compelling.

In the mid-1990s, Brudnoy’s career took a turn into a widely publicized dramatic dimension when it was announced that he was suffering from full-blown AIDS and might not have long to live. At this time, he publicly announced that he was homosexual and openly discussed it and the AIDS crisis on his program from his first-hand perspective. Fortunately, medical advancements and a positive turn of fate put Brudnoy’s disease into remission and he returned to a more healthful state enabling him to carry on with his life and his show. In 1997, he was given the Freedom of Speech Award for his bravery in speaking out during those dark days.

Brudnoy’s libertarian bent gives his program a perspective that is neither truly conservative nor liberal but covers a larger portion of the socio-political landscape. This factor combined with his educated perspective makes David Brudnoy one of the most consistently intriguing radio talk show hosts in America.