Cumulus Media News/Talk 760 WJR Detroit will implement a major revamp of its daily lineup starting Tuesday, June 20.
Paul W. Smith, who has anchored mornings on WJR since 1996 and has been with the station since the early 1980’s, will move off his longtime perch and move into a new 12-2pm slot entitled “Focus”.
Replacing him in mornings from 6-9am will be Guy Gordon. Gordon joined WJR’s daily lineup at the start of 2017 hosting from 3-5pm. He previously worked as a news anchor in Detroit television from 1984 to 2016 with stints at WXYZ-TV until 2004 and then in early mornings at WDIV afterwards. He also previously served as a regular fill-in for Smith in mornings at WJR.
“All Talk” with Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz will remain in the 9am-12pm slot. Chris Renwick moves to the weekday lineup to host from 2-4pm. Renwick has served as an anchor, reporter, fill-in host, and Senior News Analyst since joining WJR in 2015. “The Mitch Albom Show” will move up one hour to run from 4-6pm and will be followed by the return of “Sports Wrap” hosted by Sean Baligian from 6-7pm. Baligian joined WJR in 2021 and had been serving as Smith’s co-host. He previously has hosted in the market at 1130 WDFN and 105.1 WMGC.
With the changes, Westwood One’s Dan Bongino Show is dropped from the WJR lineup as it goes all local from 5am to 7pm. Various specialty and brokered shows will remain in the 7pm hour followed by Mark Levin from 8-11pm, Matt Walsh 11pm-12am, Ben Shapiro 12-1am, and Red Eye Radio 1-5am.
Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that its Detroit News/Talk radio station 760 WJR will kick off the next generation of Michigan’s best News/Talk on Tuesday, June 20th, featuring a lineup of all local voices in primetime.
Highlighting the changes, 760 WJR’s legendary morning host, Paul W. Smith will move to the newly created Noon-2:00pm timeslot, as host of “Focus.” Smith replaces the syndicated Dan Bongino Show and ascends to the post long held on 760 WJR by the late Rush Limbaugh. In the process, 760 WJR will expand the community’s access to Michigan’s most influential political, civic, and business newsmakers.
Paul W. Smith joined 760 WJR in the early 1980’s, working weekends and filling in for his predecessor, JP McCarthy, eventually taking over the Noon hour “Focus” show on 760 WJR. Shortly after McCarthy’s death in 1996, Paul W. was selected as the permanent host of the WJR morning show. Since then, “Michigan’s Anchorman” has broadcast his show from around the world and hosted everyone from Presidents, CEOs, and entertainers to next-door neighbors.
760 WJR’s Guy Gordon will move to mornings from his current position in the early afternoon timeslot, as the host of “JR Morning” from 6:00am-9:00am. 9:00am-Noon is “All Talk” with Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz and “Focus” from Noon-2:00pm with Paul W. Smith. Next will be the newly created “JR Afternoon” Show with host Chris Renwick from 2:00pm-4:00pm, followed by WJR’s Mitch Albom, host of “The Mitch Albom Show” from 4:00pm-6:00pm. To cap the day’s all-local primetime lineup, 760 WJR is bringing back “SportsWrap” with host Sean Baligian from 6:00pm-7:00pm.
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.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com