Andy Barrie (born January 30, 1945) is a
Toronto-based radio personality, most known for his work at
CFRB and later on
CBC Radio as host of
Metro Morning. Retired from the work of hosting a radio program, he remains active with the CBC.
Early life
Born in
Baltimore, Maryland, Barrie moved with his family to
Yonkers, New York in 1952, where he attended public schools, going on to major in theater at
Dartmouth College in
Hanover, New Hampshire. After university, he began a career in radio:
WCCC-FM in
Hartford, Connecticut,
WAYE in
Baltimore and
WASH-FM, then a
Metromedia station in
Washington, DC.
Given
Conscientious Objector status by his local draft board during the
Vietnam War, Barrie trained as a combat medic. In 1969, he received orders to be shipped to
Vietnam. A conversation with his brother, a career officer who had just returned from two years there, confirmed Barrie's decision to
desert He later received a
General Discharge from the
United States Army, became a Canadian citizen, and is free to travel to the U.S.
Career in radio
Barrie was introduced to
CJAD in
Montreal, and when one of the station's long-time commentators resigned in protest during the
October Crisis of 1970, Barrie was named as his replacement. In 1977, he moved to
Toronto and a job at
CFRB, where his commentaries won him an
ACTRA award. He also worked briefly as an anchor and reporter for
Global Television.
In 1995, he...
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