After 11 years at WBRZ, News Director Chuck Bark says he is leaving the station at the end of the year.

Bark has been the ND at the ABC affiliate since 2004.

Bark says that at age 63 he’s not yet ready to retire, but after three decades in television news he’s ready to do something else with his life.

“I will give myself some time and then decide what I want to do next,” he says. “I don’t think people retire in the traditional sense anymore.”

“He’s certainly been a tremendous asset and will continue to be so,” says WBRZ General Manager Rocky Daboval, who counts Bark as the first hire he made after coming to the station in the early 2000s. “We’ve weathered a lot together. Our relationship is a great one.”

Bark came to WBRZ from Mobile, Alabama, where he was news director at WALA for 14 years. Prior to that, he worked at a station in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife plan to remain in the Baton Rouge area.

Bark says he doesn’t envision a return to broadcast news, adding “you never say no to anything because you don’t know what opportunities may pop up.”