Detroit Radio: WJR's Paul W Smith Moving to Midday

WJR's Paul W Smith

A shakeup is coming to the primetime schedule at venerable Detroit-based radio station WJR 760 AM this month, and it's going to impact how Michiganians have known morning news/talk radio for decades, reports The Detroit News.

The changes revolve around well-known news radio personality Paul W. Smith, who will shift his show later this month from the 6-9 a.m. weekday slot it's held since 1996 to a noon-2 p.m. show called "Focus."

Smith said the show will give him the flexibility to take deeper dives into subjects and take the show remotely to broadcast out in the community. As a result of the move, Smith is extending his contract with WJR to stay on for at least five more years.

"It all kind of worked out perfectly," said Smith, adding he was contemplating a change since he's a self-described "night owl, not a morning lark" and has had to get up at 4 a.m. weekdays for his show.

"Then this opportunity came up where we could seize the midday programming and turn it back into local programming, all the topics that are of interest to our audience throughout the state of Michigan. And they asked if I would do it because it would be, for them, a strong way to kick that off.

The lineup shakeup will take place on June 20, pivoting the station toward a more Michigan-centric direction.

Guy Gordon, currently in an afternoon time slot with his own show, will become the host of "JR Morning," airing in Smith's old space of 6-9 a.m. weekdays. "All Talk" with Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz will follow until noon when Smith's "Focus" show takes over through 2 p.m.

A newly created "JR Afternoon" show with senior news analyst Chris Renwick airs 2-4 p.m. and "The Mitch Albom Show" shifts to 4-6 p.m. "SportsWrap" with Sean Baligian wraps up the all-local 6-7 p.m. primetime schedule.

Steve Finateri, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Detroit, said: “Launching the Focus show will give Paul W. Smith the opportunity to expand, on and off the air, his unmatched relationships with Michigan’s most influential newsmakers, for the benefit of our audience and our advertising partners. WJR is The Great Voice of the Great Lakes and going 100% local is a big win for all Michiganders who count on WJR to inform and educate us about everything happening here in our state!”

Mike Wheeler, Program Director, 760 WJR, said: “What a lineup! Each of our talent is a brand unto themselves and have a unique vision and take on the events that shape the news. We are absolutely living up to our claim that WJR is where Michigan comes to talk.”

760 WJR was recently named the official radio broadcast and play-by-play partner of the Michigan Panthers for the 2023 season. Branded as “Michigan Panthers Football on 760 WJR,” the station’s dedicated Panthers coverage will include live on-air and streaming broadcasts of the team’s home games from Ford Field, as well as away games.