City
Andy Barrie to Retire From Metro Morning
Andy Barrie told listeners this morning that he'll be retiring as host of CBC's Metro Morning in a month's time. This will come as sad news for many early morning commuters who appreciated his quick wit, interesting digressions and obvious journalistic integrity. He was an excellent interviewer, never letting his subjects off the hook when they tried to evade his questions.
Today's announcement is not a total surprise. In June of 2007, the affable host revealed that he was battling Parkinson's Disease. Upon delivering the bad news, he indicated that he intended to remain at the helm of Metro Morning for three more years.
Although he took an extended leave to care for his wife at the beginning of 2009 (she succumbed to cancer last February), Barrie was back on the air in early March.
In recent months, however, Matt Galloway -- host of the afternoon show, Here and Now -- had been making more frequent appearances during the morning commute.
Barrie started at Metro Morning in 1995 and accrued a loyal following in making it one of Toronto's most successful radio programs.
He will be missed.
Below is a copy of Barrie's farewell message:
I'm heading back into the world of a full night's sleep. On Monday, March the first, I will be vacating, relinquishing, abdicating the host's chair at Metro Morning.
Let me explain. This past fall Metro Morning went to its new start-time of 5:30, fifteen minutes earlier than it had been. Might seem like a small thing, but if you know anything about the circadian rhythms that guide our sleep, this was a big deal. And Daylight Saving time had just ended, making it kind of a double whammy. And there's my Parkinson's Disease, so make that whammy a triple!
All I know was that (my) body was getting a very loud wakeup call of its own, and the call said: "Fifteen years is more than anybody's held this job. A guy's got just so much stamina. You have been there and done that, and it's time to do something new."
If we go back to my student radio days hosting something called The Suppertime Show in university, I've been doing daily radio now for forty-five of my sixty-five years. Forty-five years of me doing the talking and you doing the listening. Well, it's that part of the conversation where it's time to say, well, enough about me.
When I joined the CBC 15 years ago, I told my wife, Mary, I felt like an immigrant all over again.
The day I pushed the mic button and introduced myself as the new host of Metro Morning it truly felt like I was taking the Oath of Citizenship a second time. On Monday March first, someone else is going to have that thrill, too, that someone named..... To Be Announced.
Until then, our producers here have very kindly allowed me some on-air time to study up on starting new, with some well-known Canadians who have re-tooled rather than re-tired. As far as CBC is concerned, the adoption papers were signed long ago. I'm family. So I'll be here at the Broadcasting Centre trying to do less talking and more listening, sticking my nose into all kinds of interesting projects, and turning my ears to Metro Morning from the comfort of home.
Again, this is, for me, good news! This is my idea. Once I convinced Denise Donlon, CBC Radio's executive director, that this is what I'm really ready for, we could start talking about the future: Metro Morning's and mine.
But listen, hey..... I'll be at the mic for another month. My alarm clock will continue to wake me up so I can wake you up until, come March, someone new wakes us both up.
Photo by photojunkie on Flickr.
Discussion
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I first met Andy back in 1986 when we were both members of the Club Mac Macintosh User's Group - I was 15 at the time, one of the club's youngest members, he still had some colour in his hair, a thick beard but that thick baritone voice of his was ever present - during the Club's meetings, usually attended by up to 250 people, Andy was the only one who didn't have to step to a mic to ask a question or make a presentation - his voice projected far and wide. As a teenager and young adult I didn't listen to much morning radio but I knew about Andy working for CFRB (at the time, he joined the CBC in 1995) and how good his reputation was. Our conversations dealt largely with Mac-related topics like Hypercard or Myst or whatever Apple's next Insanely Great product would be. Listeners of MM will agree that Apple products frequently get mentioned by Andy on the show - he is a terrific evangelist for Apple in his own subtle way.
A former draft-dodger, he was born American but made his home in Toronto and to me, he has never seemed like a carpet-bagger, I didn't even know he wasn't Canadian until about 7 or 8 years ago. He has always made me feel as though he was a fellow Torontonian, who loves this city and its arts and news and goings-on. I will miss his voice in the morning. I really, really hope they find a suitable replacement but it will take some getting used to - CBC must be shaking in their boots right now trying to think of who will sit in Andy's chair when he leaves. CFRB on the other hand (as well as the rest of Toronto's morning radio programmers) is probably secretly rejoicing.
Lots of people had issues with Andy's politics, which veered too far to the left for some of Toronto's conservative crowd- the comment sections of any blog that featured a story about Andy or Metro Morning could be counted upon to feature many anti-Andy trolls, they will probably enjoy this news to no end. In Toronto's vapid radio landscape he was principled, intelligent and forthright in his views, his interviews were carefully thought-out and he fought to bring many unsung issues to the fore - living with Parkinson's, palliative care, seniors' issues, all close to his heart, were topics that other radio shows might have thought were ratings killers but given Andy's personal connection to them he carried us all along with him. He took time off to grieve for his wife's passing and we missed him. For a couple of years he had respiratory problems that caused him to cough and hack a lot on mic and we bore with him. When the timeslot shifted to a 5:30am start, he complained openly about it on-air and we sympathized. I don't think I can recall a more popular grumpy old man in the history of Canadian radio. He was never cynical about it, either. His was a pulpit for understanding, compassion.
I don't know what Toronto Radio's going to do without him.
I wish him the best of luck.
I love Matt on Here & Now and I would hate to lose him to the likes of Kevin Sylvestor (often fills in for Matt). I can't stand Kevin. He annoys me so much that I often just turn off the radio.
All in all, Andy Barrie is great! I hope him enjoying waking up at a regular hour in the morning, instead of 3am.
Andy ranks right up there with the likes of other CBC legends such as Peter Gzowski.
I enjoyed his take no prisoners attitude on CFRB and his transition to CBC was equally enjoyable. A calming voice to hear in the morning.
I listen more on the ride home than in the morning so lets see how they shake up the voices of Toronto and place them in the empty spots.
Hear, hear, I second the motion. In fact, I can't listen to Mr. Galloway in any time slot.
IMO, he kisses too much ass, doesn't think on his feet at all in interviews and just tries to smooth things along too much. BORING & IRRITATING!
Can we please have a woman replace Andy???
They seem to be much more competent and no shrinking violets, unlike Matt. OUCH.
Can't think of any names offhand - maybe they don't self promote as much [not Sook Yin Lee, k?].
Replace him with Sook Yin Lee. Or Evan Solomon. Or Randy Bachman. Or Burton Cummings.
To Hamish, why is someone a troll simply because they don't like Mr. Barrie's infusion of politics? I also disagree with your "most popular grumpy man in the history of Canadian radio" comment as decidedly Toronto-centric. Peter Gzowski was a national giant. Outside of Toronto, few people ever hear Barrie.
I've not always been a fan of the direction Andy and his producers took the program in (in terms of format, not politics), he was a better host and interviewer than his predecessors but the focus on harder stories and exclusively short form pieces didn't always work and certainly made it a much harder program to produce.
Given the current fascination with personalities the CBC has (having forgotten the lessons learned from the debacle that was the end of Morningside) I expect they will seek out a name host. Please join me in earnest prayers that they avoid consideration of professional shrew/harpy Jane Hawtin.
I've not always been a fan of the direction Andy and his producers took the program in (in terms of format, not politics), he was a better host and interviewer than his predecessors but the focus on harder stories and exclusively short form pieces didn't always work and certainly made it a much harder program to produce.
Given the current fascination with personalities the CBC has (having forgotten the lessons learned from the debacle that was the end of Morningside) I expect they will seek out a name host. Please join me in earnest prayers that they avoid consideration of professional shrew/harpy Jane Hawtin.
I'll concede the Gzowski point, however - my fault for being Toronto-centric and perhaps for using the superlative in what was intended to an appreciative post for a much-loved acquaintance. Guilty as charged.
I agree Kevin Sylvestre is kind of an annoying American and kind of lacks class. So I wouldn't want him to replace Matt. I think a female voice would be refreshing..someone who is tough and not wishy washy 905y.
I hope Jill and the gang as well as the afternoon gang isn't gone...i like Jill's guffaw..it is contagious.
I moved to Vancouver in 2000, and while I still listen to Radio One in the morning (hosted by Ric Cluff) I can definitively say:
Mr. Cluff...I know Andy Barrie. Andy Barrie is a friend of mine. You, Mr. Cluff, are no Andy Barrie.
Truly one of the great radio personalities of our time.
I found his interviewing tourqued and questions loaded, and he had that precious / urgent cbc tendency. This was topped off with him being totally humourless.
I hope he has a nice retirement, and i hope equally that they get a quality, balanced and occasionally funny host.
Good lord he is annoying and exhausting.
He does not go for the hard questions, he often lets people off the hook, he issues many blatant plugs for products and places he likes (likely way more than the CBC condones), and he lets personal politics interfere with his interviewing style. One can usually tell with which side of an argument he agrees. That's fine for a host, which he is. But please don't pretend he's an excellent journalist.