KNBR radio host Tom Tolbert is off the air, recovering from emergency heart surgery last week. Tolbert recorded a message for KNBR and said he’s hopeful of being able to return to the airwaves in two weeks.
The issue occurred on August 29th while Tolbert was enjoying a normal night at home. While sitting on his couch watching a baseball game, the San Francisco sports radio host’s temples started hurting, which was soon followed by pain in his shoulder blades, upper chest and lower throat.
After informing his wife of his symptoms, Tolbert headed to the emergency room where it was discovered that he had a thoracic aortic dissection which required immediate surgery.
“Six hours (after going under anesthesia), boom, I wake up,” Tolbert said. “I find out all this news, what had happened and how close (I) had come to shaking hands with the real grim reaper. ‘How you doing? Nice to meet you.’
“A little sobering, got to admit.”
2017 hasn’t been kind to two of San Francisco’s afternoon sports radio hosts. 95.7 The Game’s Damon Bruce suffered a stroke in April which kept him off the air for a lengthy period of time. Tolbert now finds himself on the sidelines but for an entirely different health reason. BSM wishes him well in his recovery.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
