WKRN News 2 and its veteran reporter/photographer Jerry Barlar — known for his live morning show reports from his car during bad weather and breaking news — parted ways suddenly Aug. 7, according to a copy of an email sent to Channel 2 employees and obtained by The Tennessean.
The two-sentence email read, "Jerry Barlar no longer is an employee at WKRN News 2. We wish him the best in his future endeavors." It came less than three weeks after Barlar received a 35-year service plaque from the news outlet.
Station vice president and general manager Mike Spruill declined to comment, saying in an email, "It is against Nexstar Policy to comment on Personnel Issues."
Barlar, 63, did not immediately respond to a text message or an email seeking comment
on his departure from the station.
News 2 morning show viewers knew Barlar as the reporter who often gave live reports while driving his car during weather storms or breaking news stories. He did so with a camera mounted on his dashboard to show what was happening outside, sparking the nickname "the voice behind the dashboard."
Barlar started full time with News 2 in 1991, working overnights and chasing police scanner reports of crimes and crashes. Barlar started working as the morning show "First Alert Unit" reporter in 2010. Through three decades, he built a strong network of sources among Nashville's first responders.
Barlar earned a regional Emmy award, a Green Eyeshade award recognizing excellent journalism in the Southeast U.S., and several Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards.
In a 2021 WRKN online post recognizing his 30 years at the station, Barlar, an active member of First Church Nashville, said, "I’m glad God has blessed me by allowing me to do what I have done while here."
Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: News 2 splits with reporter who was 'the voice behind the windshield'
