Legendary Detroit radio broadcaster Paul W. Smith is moving to afternoons on 760 WJR, the radio station announced on Monday.
Cumulus Media said starting Tuesday, June 20, Smith will move to a newly-created 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. timeslot as the host of "Focus." He has been the host of the morning show for 27 years.
With the change, WJR is also changing up its lineup and going with all-local programming in primetime.
Guy Gordon will now move to mornings as the host of JR Morning from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed y Tom Jordan and Kevin Dietz from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The new JR Afternoon show will be hosted by Chris Renwick from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with Mitch Albom broadcasting from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sean Baligian hosting the return of "SportsWrap" from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“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," Steve Finateri, the vice president and market manager for Cumulus Detroit, said in a statement.
