The Curious Life of Robert Ripley

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published January 9, 2014 at 4:21 PM MST

Friday, Doug is joined by biographer Neal Thompson for a look at the strange and brilliant life of Robert "Believe It Or Not!" Ripley. Thompson says the message from Ripley's body of work – cartoons, books, radio programs, lectures and museums – is that he loved the underdog. Ripley himself had been an awkward and outcast kid, but he was also curious and adventurous. We'll talk to Thompson about how Ripley built a media empire while feeding the public's hunger for the bizarre. (Rebroadcast)

Neal Thompson is a journalist and the author of "A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert 'Believe It Or Not!' Ripley." [Your purchase on Amazon or Indiebound supports RadioWest.]

Watch this montage of Robert Ripley's world travels:

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Doug Fabrizio

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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