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www.INSIDERADIO.com Thursday, May 29, 2008

Long, Long Distance Post-Memorial Day Remote

“This is London.”

Close your eyes and imagine hearing those words dramatically delivered in the unique tone,

cadence and deliberate pause by one of the Golden Age of Radio’s illustrious cornerstones.

Chills are elicited even decades after they were originally uttered by the inimitable Edward R.

Murrow.

That’s the way he began his World War ll-era broadcasts and to borrow the title of a CBS News

program of bygone days, through Murrow’s unique accounts, Americans were truly able to “Hear It

Now.”

Subsequent hostilities have unfortunately followed the war to supposedly end all wars and as a

result radio news people continue to walk in the footsteps of Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Charles

Collingwood, Howard K. Smith et al. by strapping on the gear to report back to the American public.

War – as General William Tecumseh Sherman stated over 120 years ago

– is hell and broadcasters

put themselves in harm’s way by covering it, although generally not to the extent of Murrow who

reportedly flew in more than 20 bombing missions over Berlin.

Welcome Diversion

Delivery and content are markedly different, yet concrete one-on-one

communication similarities exist between the late Murrow and Ron Barr,

who next month (June 2008) takes his “Sports Byline USA” program to

Iraq for the fourth time.

Doing a radio show from Afghanistan is a daunting technical challenge

but as Barr remarks in his customary warm and gracious manner, “It isn’t

[quite as awful as it is] in Iraq. We’ll be broadcasting [from] different

locations. I know we’ll be in Kaboul and I think we’ll be in Kandahar.”

The last time the San Francisco-based sports authority did such an

undertaking he boarded a 12-

hour, United Airlines flight from Washington

to Kuwait.

Several other interesting people were onboard that particular commercial flight, including former

presidential candidate/Delaware Democratic Senator Joe Biden. “A 12-hour flight isn’t bad,” Barr

states with assurance. “You can sleep and watch the movies. We left at 9:50pm going and at

Midnight [for a 14

-hour flight] coming back.”

Personal feelings about the Iraq conflict are completely excluded from the equation and totally

irrelevant. “I’m not there to investigate the philosophy that has us there,” Barr stresses. “I’m there

for the people – the [troops]. We have meals together and talk sports.”

Readily apparent is the fact it brings instant familiarity to the lives of our service personnel who are,

to put it mildly, in a very abnormal situation.

Special K

Conversely if a political commentator were to do a show from Iraq, Barr opines, “[The military]

would be scared to death [because they wouldn’t] be sure what that person would say on the air.

They all have an agenda -

I don’t. They also don’t get the same open-door policy we do. I was on

the Afghan

-Pakistan border and had lunch with 200 guys on top of a mountain. I know how the

system works and won’t let people who [are] single-minded push me into a corner. I was told we

couldn’t say where we [were broadcasting from although] we could mention we were in Southwest

Asia. Give me a break. After a while, they realized I wasn’t a threat and everyone was having fun.”

After all, it is the sports world which provides that unique diversionary bridge that somehow

provides pleasure to nearly everyone and as Barr philosophically states, “These are the games we

played and the moments we will never forget. The only disagreement we’re going to have is

whether the Red Sox or Yankees will win the American League East.”

Mirroring his past three outings to the war torn region, Barr intends to stay seven to ten days and

already anticipates separation anxiety. “Even though I’m only there a short time, I miss the men

and women I [come in contact with],” he explains. “[The last time] I returned [to the Bay Area] on

a Friday and happened to go to the tennis club [the next day] and got angry. The big [discussion]

was about where to have dinner and the kind of wine we would be drinking. I thought to myself

that’s not the real world. They don’t have a clue about what the hell is going on.”

It was at Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s urging that

Barr, whose nightly sports

broadcast is carried globally on American Forces Network (as well as on 200 terrestrial radio

stations and Sirius Satellite Radio), contacted former “Coach K” player, Colonel Bob Brown,

Commander of the 125th S

triker Brigade/Mosul, Iraq. “I was sitting on the deck of my house when

he called and [introduced himself] by saying, `I hear you’re looking for me,’” Barr recounts of the

conversation with now General Brown. “I invited him on the show and surprised him wi

th not only

`Coach K’ but with [Brown’s] wife who was in Fort Lewis [WA]. He asked if I’d bring my show to the

men and women in Iraq.”

That was approximately three years ago (August 2005) and Barr’s initial visit was understandably

eye

-opening. “I don’t think anyone has ever broadcast live from there and certainly not a sports talk

show,” he remarks.

Whistling In The Dark

Upon deplaning in Kuwait and attempting to adjust to the staggering heat Barr quickly diverted his

attention to the history of his surroundings. “Everything is quiet at the airport and it’s clean,” he

points out. “You are also struck with the beauty of the Middle Eastern woman. I get into

understanding the full culture and use it as a learning lesson. Ours is not the only world.”

Machinegun fire and grenade combat welcomed him outside the palace walls of Saddam Hussein’s

complex. “We heard the gunfire, explosions and helicopters flying overhead,” Barr notes. “The sun

had set [but] it was [still] 125 degrees. All of a sudden, there was a melodious sound that wafted

over the whole city. It was a call to prayer. The peacefulness was such a dichotomy.”

Subsequent to having breakfast, Barr and his entourage engage in “Meet & Greets” with three

-star

generals, those serving in Special Forces

and everyone in between. “[At mealtime], the guys come

up to us and talk sports for as long as they can,” he points out. “Our broadcast time in Iraq is 5-

7pm and I start getting into broadcast mode at about 2:30pm. There’s a concern when doing a

remote like this with the signal because it’s a double-hop. It has to go up to the satellite; down to

Atlanta; and back to San Francisco. You always worry about that. It’s like a space walk.”

Practically simultaneous with the beginning of the first show was a rocket attack. “I listened to the

tapes the other day and heard the whistle sound of the first rocket coming in,” Barr recalls. “I was

opening the show and thought if the soldiers hit the ground [I’d do the same thing]. I just kept

talking like nothing had happened. One rocket landed in the water behind us. If it hit a hard surface,

it would have taken us out.”

A different sports celebrity appears in every segment. “[Former SF 49ers owner] Eddie BeBartolo,

[NBA Commissioner] David Stern, [phenomenal 49ers wide receiver] Jerry Rice, [ESPN personality]

Chris Berman and [former NY Giants running back] Tiki Barber have been on with me. Anyone I’ve

called has always said yes.”

Sports’ Familiar Ring

Not only does Emmy winner Barr, who comes from a military family, enjoy interacting with soldiers,

he lets them co-host each hour of the show. “Some are shy and others run the [program] by

themselves,” he remarks. “I was [amazed] with how good [some] co-hosts were. Two majors

interviewed David Stern and he was so impresse

d with one he said [the NBA] may have a job for

him.”

One parent’s email to Barr summarized a conversation the father had with his Iraq-stationed son.

Initially fearful his son had been badly injured, the father informed Barr the youngster had a once-

in-

a-lifetime chance to talk with a major sports athlete. “He’d never heard his son sound better in

the 11 months he was in Iraq,” Barr comments. “A patrol came in with tired, wet and dirty soldiers.

They grabbed some water, rested under the canopy and listened to the last hour of our last show.”

When the broadcast concluded one member of the unit politely approached Barr and gave the

amiable sports host a heartfelt thank-you. “When I asked why, he said for two hours a day that

week I made him feel like he was back home,” Barr emotionally remembers. “It is embarrassing to

us when [the troops do things like that]. We are there to thank

them for what

they are doing. It’s

fine to send entertainers and comedians [to Iraq] but it’s different with athletes. Everyone can talk

about and relate to sports.”

Accompanying Barr on his last Iraq visit were broadcaster/ex-49ers lineman Randy Cross, former

Houston and San Francisco running back Spencer Tillman and former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian

Billick. “Spencer had a Super Bowl ring with him and let all the [military personnel] wear it,” Barr

points out. “The women said they wouldn’t get married until they had a ring that big. When Brian

walked in where the Maryland reserve was based in Baghdad, you would have thought he was a

rock star. They were fans of his and he talked with them for an hour and took pictures with each

person in the unit. He also invited all of them for a barbecue lunch at his house.”

Destiny’s Child

En route to a speaking engagement in front of 3

soldiers, Barr asked his colleagues to talk about

things in life other than football. “Nobody yawned or

got up to leave,” he points out. “We were there 90

minutes and instead of [sports talk] the soldiers

heard about leadership and teamwork. It was just

magic.”

Reality of where they were however swiftly set in:

Five American lives were lost as a result of a nearby

rocket attack. “When I’m in Iraq, I always look right

to left and behind me [whereas] in Afghanistan, you

look down so you don’t step on a landmine,” Barr

points out. “I said I wouldn’t go to Afghanistan

unless they let me do the show from [Germany’s] Landstuhl [Regional Medical Center -

the

treatment center for wounded soldiers coming from Iraq and Afghanistan]. Nike sent over warm-up

[suits]; the NFL sent shirts and hats; and EA sent video games. It was a real lift to the spirits for

those there.”

Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet in some places but forsaking such protection at other times,

Barr comments, “I think about [my safety] because it makes you wiser in decisions you make when

you’re in a dangerous situation but I don’t let it bother me. There’s not much you can do about it.

I’m also with the best. It would be inhuman not to think about it [but] I believe in destiny. I don’t

know what the script is for me and I don’t know when [my life] ends. If it happens over there or

driving into the studio [so be it]. I approach almost everything I do in an environment like that

[cautiously].”

Unique Gift

Rarely is something with the ultimate danger attached to it done for nothing more than sheer

satisfaction.

Such is the case though with Barr, who has thus far broken a leg and a rib during his combat visits

with our troops. “I’ve seen the joy we’ve brought,” he declares. “Spencer Tillman put his arm on my

shoulder and thanked me for letting him come on the trip. It changed his life.”

About to go into the hospital room of a just-wounded soldier in Landstuhl, Barr was pulled aside by

the doctor. “He told me to be careful because that person had an attitude. I found out [the injured

young man] was from Philadelphia. When I walked in, he gave me a look like `what the hell do you

want?’ I told him the trouble with people from Philadelphia is they go to the airport to boo a bad

landing. He laughed and laughed. We talked together for an hour. On my way out, the doctor said I

certainly turned him around.”

Regular listeners of Barr’s nightly sports broadcast can sense through his penetrating interviews

he’s interested in a story’s human aspect. That’s

also the way he approaches his military visits. “I

don’t want to be `everything to everybody’ but [would rather] be something special to those I can

make a difference with,” Barr explains. “I realize I’ve been given an opportunity to do [this] and I’d

a fool to waste it.”

by Mike Kinosian

Mike@InsideRadio.com