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(New Haven-WTNH)
Jan. 30, 2003 Updated 6:20 PM
by News Channel 8's Chris Velardi
Your morning commute may sound a little different if you listen to WPLR. That station's morning team of Smith & Barber is off-the-air. It's a big change for Connecticut morning radio, breaking up a team that's been on the dial for nearly twenty years."It felt almost Seinfeld-esque," Bruce Barber said. "You want to go out on top and that's where I am in my life."
Bruce Barber says his passion for morning radio has been fading and last fall he made his feelings clear to his boss at WPLR.
"When he brought it up on more than one occasion it became a reality that we've got a great show here, good people, but maybe it's time to move on to other things," WPLR general manager John Ryan said.
So Thursday, 'PLR pulled the plug on the Smith & Barber Morning Show, doing it now rather than waiting for the DJ's contracts to expire in the next few months.
Bruce Barber says he's looking forward to trying something new. He's hoping to launch an Internet project, but he's going miss the people he's helped wake up for the last 18 years.
"That's gonna be the hardest thing for me to leave is this community/family of listeners and the give-and-take that we've shared over the years," Barber said.
The other half of this award-winning team - Brian Smith - says he is disappointed the show's run is over. He told News Channel 8 the decision to end the show came as a surprise to him and he says he will miss doing it.
Next month, one-time 'PLR night DJ Chaz and his partner AJ, who are currently working at WRCN on Long Island, will take over for Smith & Barber.
"They will be missed, replaced by different talent," Ryan said, "but there will never be another Smith & Barber in the area."
There also won't be a Smith & Barber farewell show. WPLR said it was up to the guys, but they said no thanks, that you can't sum up 18 years of work in one four-hour show. Still, Barber says he's hoping he and Smith can figure out some way to meet with and thank their fans.