Rush hour won’t be the same without Barkley at the wheel
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2015 (3627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
After a quarter-century of keeping tabs on the city’s traffic snarls, Brian Barkley has finally had it with Winnipeg drivers.
The longtime traffic reporter for 680 CJOB, who has been on the air in and around the city for 39 years, announced Monday morning that his final day at work will be Oct. 30.
The 64-year-old said in a telephone interview between his shifts on Monday afternoon that his decision has been in the works for a while; a change in the weather was all he needed to hand in his keys and microphone.
“Now I don’t have to do another winter in traffic,” Barkley said.
He began his career at CJOB in 1976, announcing evening and weekend newscasts. He has been keeping listeners apprised of Winnipeg’s gridlock for 25 years.
“I loved being in touch with our audience,” Barkley is quoted as saying in a CJOB release. “It gave me a positive spin because the vast majority of people I talked to were friendly, funny, caring and concerned.”
During his time as traffic reporter, Barkley became one of the most endearing voices of the city.
“It’s the natural me,” Barkley said in his familiar voice. “Back in high school, I was a big radio fan, a big CJOB fan back then, and when you heard certain voices on the radio you felt like he was your radio friend. I wanted to be someone like that.”
It isn’t uncommon for Barkley to go unnoticed at Winnipeg stores or gatherings — until he has something to say with his instantly recognizable voice, that is.
“It happened just two days ago,” Barkley said, recalling a recent incident standing in line at the supermarket checkout. “I was getting some groceries and I had a cold. I didn’t say much more than a couple of words but I’d said enough. Even with a cold, she knew that voice.”
Barkley said in a 2010 Free Press story that he logged 40,000 kilometres a year helping radio listeners navigate their way to work and back. That’s not stopping him from getting back behind the wheel with his wife of 42 years, Brendene, on a road trip to Arkansas and North Carolina shortly after he’s done at CJOB.
He finds driving relaxes him.
“People have told me they’re baffled how I can keep my composure in the middle of rush hour day after day.”
Twitter:@AlanDSmall