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Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
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MWmetalhead
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Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:55 am

Yawn.

Guy Gordon moves to mornings. Paul W. to Noon to 2PM. Renwick gets a show from 2 to 4. Albom moves up an hour. A new sports show with Baligian will air at 6PM (why only one hour??).

The crappy 9a to Noon show remains in place.

I might check out Guy Gordon and I'll definitely give Sean's show a listen, but otherwise, this lineup does little for me.

Paul W. should've been given a 10a to 1p show, followed by Renwick, followed by Albom.

The changes take effect June 20. Still no local newscasts.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/enter ... 278681007/

The two yentas on the air with Paul right now sure are annoying.

Are the local hosts going to lick the boots of local politicians and newsmakers all day long?



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by Bobbert » Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:45 am

For those who can't access the Detroit News story, there's an interesting exchange in the comments section.

From Thomas_A:
I don't care what time of day Paul W. Smith is on. I will not listen to him. He was promoted as J.P. McCarthy v.2 and he never came close. PWS has an ego problem. He injects too much of himself into his broadcast. He is a name dropper. He, and other WJR hosts, try disguising stories and reports as news, but these pieces are nothing more than extended commercials. A good example is the "green energy" promotion effort. Plenty of interviews with DTE and Consumers promoting their green projects. Nothing ever, ever, ever from objective experts who know how fragile the grid really is. EVs are another example. WJR once was the leader by far. Today it is a mediocre shell of its former self.
Reply from Paul_C (who's obviously Paul Chapman, who was at WJR from 1983 to 1998)
Well, having worked there myself on air for 15 years in the sports department, JP would often become a corporate shill. He'd just disguise it much better than Paul W. And I agree, Paul W. has an ego problem and always did. When JP died, the station began to make major changes, including sweeping out a lot of us oldtimers because they felt the station's average age demographic needed to go down from 65+ to the upper 40's and low 50's. I was told when I was dropped that at age 52, that they felt I should retire. I was also told they were shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out I'd never gone to college. Well, there were lots of us who were in radio at the time and at 'JR, who had very little if any college education. Many, like me, were broadcast school grads. I put in 17 years in radio before getting to 'JR, in mid sized and small sized markets. I won myself and the WJR many awards. But in 15 years, no one ever discovered I had never gone to college, just broadcast school? Really??
Last edited by Bobbert on Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by craig11152 » Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:26 am

Here is an odd twist. When I was younger I was an avid WJR listener. Now that I am old (71) I don't think I've listened to 10 minutes* of WJR in twenty years.

*I don't count the time my wife is listening to her beloved Spartans


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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by Majik » Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:55 pm

craig11152 wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:26 am
Here is an odd twist. When I was younger I was an avid WJR listener. Now that I am old (71) I don't think I've listened to 10 minutes* of WJR in twenty years.
I could have written these exact same words. I will check out Belegian’s new Sportswrap, but the rest I can do without



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by lidoshuffle » Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:50 pm

Here is how Paul W. Smith's first day as the Noon-2pm host will start...

Welcome to the Paul W. Smith Midday Show on the voice of the Great Lakes, 760 WJR Detroit....
Now sitting in for Paul W., here's....



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:20 pm

So true! 😅



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by Colonel Flagg » Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:38 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:55 am
Yawn.

Guy Gordon moves to mornings. Paul W. to Noon to 2PM. Renwick gets a show from 2 to 4. Albom moves up an hour. A new sports show with Baligian will air at 6PM (why only one hour??).

The crappy 9a to Noon show remains in place.

I might check out Guy Gordon and I'll definitely give Sean's show a listen, but otherwise, this lineup does little for me.

Paul W. should've been given a 10a to 1p show, followed by Renwick, followed by Albom.

The changes take effect June 20. Still no local newscasts.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/enter ... 278681007/

The two yentas on the air with Paul right now sure are annoying.

Are the local hosts going to lick the boots of local politicians and newsmakers all day long?
MW, I agree with your lineup, with one modification. While I don't care for Guy Gordon, at least give him a real newsman for AM drive. How about Tom Jordan? The absurd "senior news anal-yst" concept needs to go.

Kevin Dietz needs to go too. The reasons have been outlined here before.

Bringing back Sportswrap was actually the idea of Chris Renwick. He's been doing it on the weekends. Hell, I remember when Sportswrap ran from 7PM to Midnight sometimes. As for why it's only an hour, that's probably because 7PM is "infomercial time" Dr. Ann Marie Colonblow with the funny accent, and other clients of the Sloan Brothers. The low hanging fruit of ad sales. :lol

I would actually enjoy the return of the "Evening News Center" at 6PM and 11PM, but that would require people, and a real newsroom. Bump Sportswrap to 7PM where it was years ago.


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MWmetalhead
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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:43 pm

I like your suggestions a lot. Jordan reading the news during the morning show is a very good idea. I also like the idea of a news block at 6PM and beginning Sportswrap at 7PM.



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by Mega Hertz » Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:59 pm

lidoshuffle wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:50 pm
Here is how Paul W. Smith's first day as the Noon-2pm host will start...

Welcome to the Paul W. Smith Midday Show on the voice of the Great Lakes, 760 WJR Detroit....
Now sitting in for Paul W., here's....
Okay, now THAT is funny 🤣


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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by edj » Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:04 pm

WJR is actually going local. For that they get credit. However, the choices are mostly awful. Guy Gordon is a softer interviewer than even Paul W. Smith. He also has a temper when any caller would disagree with his takes, like a certain brokered sports host.

I have never been a fan of Paul W. Smith. Like was mentioned above, too much namedropping, sucking up to politicians and CEOs, and general elitism. I do like Tom Jordan, he’s OK as a talk host, but Kevin Dietz is unlistenable.

Renwick is OK I guess, Albom is still terrible just as he was 30 years ago. Baligian doing a full sports show again is awesome. Too bad it’s only one hour.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:33 pm

I wish WJR would sound a lot less like WJR and a lot more like WLW.



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by ZenithCKLW » Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:55 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:33 pm
I wish WJR would sound a lot less like WJR and a lot more like WLW.
I wish we had a WGN in town.



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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by Colonel Flagg » Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:27 pm

Mega Hertz wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:59 pm
lidoshuffle wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:50 pm
Here is how Paul W. Smith's first day as the Noon-2pm host will start...

Welcome to the Paul W. Smith Midday Show on the voice of the Great Lakes, 760 WJR Detroit....
Now sitting in for Paul W., here's....
Okay, now THAT is funny 🤣
I know Paul W, and I can assure you, even he would find it to be funny :lol

Paul W, and Mitch are truly just regular guys. I've worked with both, and never had a problem. Don't buy into the hype put out by the hysterical handwringers. They both have faults, but they are not bad guys to work with.


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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by radiofann » Tue Jun 06, 2023 12:18 am

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:27 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:59 pm
lidoshuffle wrote:
Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:50 pm
Here is how Paul W. Smith's first day as the Noon-2pm host will start...

Welcome to the Paul W. Smith Midday Show on the voice of the Great Lakes, 760 WJR Detroit....
Now sitting in for Paul W., here's....
Okay, now THAT is funny 🤣
I know Paul W, and I can assure you, even he would find it to be funny :lol

Paul W, and Mitch are truly just regular guys. I've worked with both, and never had a problem. Don't buy into the hype put out by the hysterical handwringers. They both have faults, but they are not bad guys to work with.
Meanwhile WJR is in 14th place ? So many commercials are PSA’s. Can we assume the station loses money on Paul W and Mitch or has their contract salaries been appropriately downsized as the ratings have fallen?

We can’t blame podcasts for WJR’s fall as the ratings are relative to their terrestrial radio dial competitors.

This is the reason automakers floated the trial balloon of eliminating AM radio from cars.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Paul W. Smith moving to middays + other changes at WJR

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:07 am

There is a massive gap between 12th place (4.1 share) and WJR's 14th place (2.4 share), and of course, WJR's rank and share are much worse when examining Adults 25 to 54.

WWJ's 4.1 share is abnormally weak for that station; perhaps numbers have taken a hit as a result of recent personnel changes there.



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