Ray Taliaferro was the longtime overnight talk host on KGO. He was known for being a loud and proud liberal voice on the air, as well as a passionate advocate for causes such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, for which he helped raise millions of dollars on KGO Cure A Thons.
Born in New York City, Taliaferro grew up in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood. Taliaferro began his talk radio career in 1967 on KNEW, moving to KRON-TV as a news anchor, then to KGO in 1977. He helped found the National Association of Black Journalists in 1975, and was honored by the San Francisco Black Chamber of Commerce in 1994 with the Black Chamber Life Award.
In 2011, Ray Taliaferro was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and the association’s “Ray Taliaferro NABJ Entrepreneurial Spirit Award” recognizing “journalistic entrepreneurship” was named in his honor.
Ray Taliaferro died in 2018 at the age of 79.