I will miss him but he has earned his retirement. I'm sure there
will be lots going on between now and June to mark the occasion.
Television won't be the same without him.

Peter Anderson

--- In bob_barker@yahoogroups.com, "jaldridge86" <jaldridge86@...>
wrote:
>
> LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Barker is heading toward his last showcase,
> his final "Come on down."
> The silver-haired daytime-TV icon is retiring in June, he told The
> Associated Press Tuesday.
>
> "I will be 83 years old on December 12," he said, "and I've
decided
> to retire while I'm still young."
>
> Though he has been considering retirement for "at least 10 years,"
> Barker said he has so much fun doing the show that he hasn't been
> able to leave.
>
> "I've gone on and on and on to this ancient age because I've
enjoyed
> it," he said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm going to miss
it."
>
> Reaching dual milestones, 50 years on television and 35 with
Price,
> made this an "appropriate" time to retire, Barker said. Besides,
> hosting the daily CBS program — in which contestants chosen from
the
> crowd "come on down" to compete for "showcases" that include
trips,
> appliances and new cars — is "demanding physically and mentally,"
he
> said.
>
> "I'm just reaching the age where the constant effort to be there
and
> do the show physically is a lot for me," he said. "I might be able
> to do the show another year, but better (to leave) a year too soon
> than a year too late."
>
> Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation, said Barker
> has left an enduring mark on the network, calling his contribution
> and loyalty "immeasurable."
>
> "We knew this day would come, but that doesn't make it any
easier,"
> Moonves said in a statement. "Bob Barker is a daytime legend, an
> entertainment icon and one of the most beloved television
> personalities of our time."
>
> Barker began his national television career in 1956 as the host of
> Truth or Consequences. He first appeared on Price on Sept. 4, 1972
> and has been the face of the show ever since.
>
> A CBS prime-time special celebrating the show's longevity and
> Barker's five decades on TV was already underway, a network
> spokesman said.
>
> To kick off his retirement, Barker said he will "sit down for
maybe
> a couple of weeks and find out what it feels like to be bored."
Then
> he plans to spend time working with animal-rights causes,
including
> his own DJ&T Foundation, founded in memory of his late wife,
Dorothy
> Jo, and mother, Matilda.
>
> He said he'd take on a movie role if the right one came along, but
> filmmakers, take note: "I refuse to do nude scenes. These
Hollywood
> producers want to capitalize on my obvious sexuality, but I don't
> want to be just another beautiful body."
>
> Freemantle Media, which owns Price, has been looking for Barker's
> replacement for "two or three years," Barker said. And he has some
> advice for whoever takes the job: learn the show's 80 games
> backwards and forward.
>
> "The games have to be just like riding a bicycle," Barker
> said. "Then he will be relaxed enough to have fun with the
audience,
> to get the laughs with his contestants and make the show more than
> just straight games, to make it a lot of fun."
>
> As for his fans, Barker said he "doesn't have the words" to
express
> his gratitude.
>
> "From the bottom of my heart, I thank the television viewers,
> because they have made it possible for me to earn a living for 50
> years doing something that I thoroughly enjoy. They have invited
me
> into their homes daily for a half a century."
>
> But when it comes to saying his final TV goodbye, Barker said
he'll
> do it the same way he does each day on Price : "Help control the
pet
> population. Have your pets spayed or neutered."
>
> http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-10-31-bob-barker_x.htm?
> POE=LIFISVA
>