The Buzz · Winnipeg Morning Wire

Your old landline is cool again in Winnipeg. Seriously.

Your old flip phone is cool again hey

Winterpeg. We built a city in the coldest place anyone has any business building a city — and it is genuinely wonderful. Good morning.

Okay, so get this – remember those old landline phones? The ones with the curly cords and the clicky buttons? Apparently, they're back. Not just like, *a few* people are getting them, but there's a whole thing happening where "retro" landlines are trending with adults and even kids. I saw this story and just about spit out my coffee. It’s like, we spend all this time trying to get fibre optic to every corner of the North End, and now people are bringing back… rotary dials?

### Why This Is Wild for Winnipeg

Honestly, it makes a bit of sense for us, though, doesn't it? We’re a city that appreciates a good vintage find, whether it’s at a little shop in Osborne Village or a classic record from the Exchange District. There’s a practicality to it, too. If you’re trying to pry the screens out of your kid's hands, a landline is one way to do it. No TikTok, no YouTube, just… a phone call. Imagine a kid from Fort Richmond trying to figure out how to dial without a touchscreen, hey?

* **Screen Time Solution:** Parents are looking for ways to reduce device use, and a landline is certainly a departure from a smartphone. * **Nostalgia Factor:** For adults, it’s a blast from the past, a simpler time. Maybe it's a bit of that comfort we look for when the Red River is getting ready to flood in the spring. * **Winnipeg's Retro Vibe:** We love our old buildings, our history, and things that last. It fits right in with our appreciation for things built to endure, like our old-school diners and the character of our older neighbourhoods.

It's a strange blend of past and present, seeing something so old become new again. It speaks to that Winnipeg spirit of making do, of finding value in things that have stood the test of time. Who knows, maybe next we’ll see people trading their Priuses for horse-drawn sleighs down Portage Avenue in January. You just never know in this city.

The crew on the morning show, they'll be talking about this one – catch them live at mornings.live.

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