Is Tom Barnard really leaving his podcast?

Tom Barnard, one of the most popular broadcasters in Twin Cities history, announced last week that he’ll be stepping away from “The Tom Barnard Show” on Nov. 6, 2026, and handing the podcast over to his children, Andy and Alex.

You have every reason to be skeptical. Barnard, 73, occasionally threatened to leave KQRS when he was the King of Morning Media there, only to reconsider. He finally stepped away in 2022. In a phone interview from his winter home in West Palm Beach, Fla., Barnard didn’t rule out another change of heart.

Q: What made you decide to announce your departure last week?

A: The listener support is great, but I don’t get a lot of other support for the podcast. The newspaper and local TV businesses are in the same boat. [“Garage Logic” host] Joe Soucheray has fans. One of the reasons I decided to do the podcast for Hubbard Broadcasting is so I could work with him. The segue from radio to podcasting has gotten better, but it’s still uncomfortable for me. I just don’t have the same enthusiasm for it. But I’ve been told by 8 billion people this past weekend that there’s no way I can leave. They say there’s not anything else to listen to.

Q: Well, you’ve changed your mind before. I’m reminded of the line from one of your favorite franchises, “The Godfather Part III”: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

A: One of the great lines of all time. I don’t know. I will never retire. I feel like the Sid Hartman of my generation. But I don’t know where I would go. AM radio is gone and FM radio is right behind it. Maybe I could go to KFAN, do one or two hours a week. So many good people over there. But I don’t see where there would be room for me. Maybe I should see about getting on the radio in Florida.

Q: You’ve met and interviewed so many politicians over the years. Who has impressed you the most?

A: The two people I’ve met who I really, really like are Norm Coleman and Tim Pawlenty. They’re both very nice, very kind people. I’ve known Donald Trump for 25 years. I’ve had lunch with him. There’s always been a side of him that’s all about Hollywood. But he was always very pleasant to me. I live about a mile from him here in Florida. Sometimes I want to hop in my car, drive over there and ask him to step up and help my friend Mike Lindell. I’d say, “Jesus Christ, he made mistakes, but he was very loyal to you. Can’t you be loyal to him?”

Q: You have a long history of interviewing comics. Who stands out?

A: Jake Johannsen was on last week. He’s one of my favorite people. I’ve met all of them. Johnny Carson. Bob Newhart. I guess I never met Bob Hope, but I hear he was wonderful. I was very, very lucky because back at KQ everyone came into the studio.

Q: What’s the last concert you went to?

A: [Wife] Kathryn and I go hear classical music about once a year. The Minnesota Orchestra does a wonderful job. I love Bach and Beethoven. It’s very emotional, very soothing.

Q: What are you reading these days?

A: I haven’t read that much since Vince Flynn died. I thought the world of him. I don’t really like science fiction. When I think back to my childhood, I think of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” one of the greatest books of all time. I guess he was a nut job. Maybe that’s why I dig him.

Q: What about TV?

A: I don’t find many new sitcoms to be very funny. I’ve been watching a lot of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on Roku lately. “The Twilight Zone,” too. They’re just so well written. It goes back to my youth, in a way. When those shows came out, I wasn’t allowed to watch them. I guess I can do it now.

Q: If you do step away from podcasting, you’ll have more time to travel. What’s on your dream list of places to visit?

A: I know this is going to sound lame as hell to you, but in July, Kathryn and I are going to England to tour Cornwall and see all the places they shoot “Doc Martin.” I’m a huge fan. He has the same personality I do. He does his job, but don’t get in his way. There’s an owly side to him. I’m really spending a lot of time with my family. There wasn’t a single day of my life that I got along with my dad. So when it was my time to be a dad, it was important to me to really connect with family. It’s been a great blessing.