Category: WGPR

WGPR STATION ON THE MOVE, HAS 36 REMOTES A WEEK . . . JULY 17, 1965

WGPR Making Waves in Detroit with Increased Remote Broadcasting

 

 

DETROIT — A radio station that’s “kinda movin’ ” gets listeners and WGPR-FM is a station constantly on the move. Floyd M. Jones (aka Sporty J), station manager, said the station is “No. 1 among FM stations and No. 3 among stations – period.”

WGPR (Floyd M. Jones) Disc Jockey Lounge billing, mid-1960s. (Click on ad for largest PC view; or tap image, stretch image across MOBILE device screen for detailed view).

Probably the strongest example of how this station moves, however, is a countdown of its remotes – 36 a week. Jones handles a two-hour daily, three – hour Saturday evening jazz record show from the Disk Jockey Lounge. Dan (Bull Frog) Harrison does an rhythm and blues record show from the Chit Chat Lounge. DJ Larry Dixon may handle a random remote broadcast, but nothing steady at the moment; however, he does have a weekly record hop.

The 50,000-watt FM station broadcasts about 20 hours a day covering a radius of 75 miles. One reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the station, Jones said, is that some 87 per cent of Detroit’s Negro element has FM radios. “But it’s more than that. We’re creating the image here that FM is more than just a background medium. We’re putting out a new sound.”

While the station programs record shows for Detroit populace such as Greeks, Italians, Polish and Mexican, the main portion of each day is used with rhythm and blues programs – a total of three programs a day for a total of seven hours. Jazz takes up about four hours each day. Gospel music is played early in the morning. Sunday is devoted to remote broadcasts most of the day from local churches. The station employs about 40 people. Bob Longwell is the station’s general manager.

Another reason the station is moving, according to Jones, is that programming and air personalities aims at three important and large audience segments. “I take care of the jazz fans,” Jones said. “Larry Dixon is a teen-oriented personality. And Bullfrog is for the rhythm and blues fans.” END

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Information, credit, and news source: Billboard, July 17, 1965

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NEW! WGPR 107.5 FM BACK ON THE RADIO! “SPORTY J.”

NEW! A special THANK YOU to our friend, Jim Nuznoff, of Port Charlotte, Florida, for this featured and rare WGPR aircheck contribution (he recorded 55 years ago) for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks aircheck repository.

Jim writes (01/09/2024): “Remote broadcast of the Sporty J. Show, live from the Disc Jockey Lounge, 15509 Livernois. A unique taste of Detroit radio.”

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Audio remastered! This selected audio recording was digitally enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

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WGPR STATION ON MOVE, HAS 36 REMOTES A WEEK . . . 07/17/1965

From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1965

WGPR Making Waves in Detroit with Increased Remote Broadcasting

 

DETROIT — A radio station that’s “kinda movin’ ” gets listeners and WGPR-FM is a station constantly on the move. Floyd M. Jones, station manager, said the station is “No. 1 among FM stations and No. 3 among stations – period.”

Probably the strongest example of how this station moves, however, is a countdown of its remotes – 36 a week. Jones handles a two-hour daily, three – hour Saturday evening jazz record show from the Disk Jockey Lounge. Dan (Bull Frog) Harrison does an rhythm and blues record show from the Chit Chat Lounge. DJ Larry Dixon may handle a random remote broadcast, but nothing steady at the moment; however, he does have a weekly record hop.

The 50,000-watt FM station broadcasts about 20 hours a day covering a radius of 75 miles. One reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the station, Jones said, is that some 87 per cent of Detroit’s Negro element has FM radios. “But it’s more than that. We’re creating the image here that FM is more than just a background medium. We’re putting out a new sound.”

While the station programs record shows for Detroit populace such as Greeks, Italians, Polish and Mexican, the main portion of each day is used with rhythm and blues programs – a total of three programs a day for a total of seven hours. Jazz takes up about four hours each day. Gospel music is played early in the morning. Sunday is devoted to remote broadcasts most of the day from local churches. The station employs about 40 people. Bob Longwell is the station’s general manager.

Another reason the station is moving, according to Jones, is that programming and air personalities aims at three important and large audience segments. “I take care of the jazz fans,” Jones said. “Larry Dixon is a teen-oriented personality. And Bullfrog is for the rhythm and blues fans.” END

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 Information and news source: Billboard; July 17, 1965

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WGPR-FM 107.5 BACK ON THE RADIO! ROSETTA HINES

 

WGPR RECALLED ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS

WGPR-FM 107.5 * ROSETTA HINES * September 11, 1998

 

 

NEW! Rosetta Hines WGPR aircheck date Friday, September 11, 1998

*****

 * THE JIM FELICIANO COLLECTION *

 

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NEW! WGPR-FM ON THE RADIO: ‘ELECTRIFYING MOJO’

 

WGPR RECALLED on MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS

WGPR-FM 107.5 * 1982 * THE ELECTRIFYING MOJO

 

 

NEW! ELECTRIFYING MOJO WGPR aircheck date Wednesday, April 7, 1982

*****

NEW! A special THANK YOU to Mario Simone of Warren, MI., for recently donating this WGPR radio aircheck to Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

This is our very first ‘Mojo’ inclusion to the aircheck library from the Mario Simone collection . . . . more Electrifying Mojo airchecks will be forthcoming on this site!

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 * THE MARIO SIMONE COLLECTION *

 

 

 

THE ELECTRIFYING MOJO

— CHARLES JOHNSON —

 

Beginning in 1979, Charles Johnson (a.k.a. as the Electrifying Mojo) was heard nightly on several of the finest urban-contemporary radio stations on the FM side during his 14 years of radio broadcasting in Detroit.  

The Electrifying Mojo (never seen), as he called himself on the radio, touched down his “Mothership” on WGPR, WJLB, WHYT, WTWR (Monroe; Saturday nights only) and WMXD.

Charles Johnson closed out his Detroit radio career on the station who hired him first nearly 40 years ago, WGPR 107.5. He remained there nearly three years before leaving the station and the Detroit radio scene altogether, sometime late-1993.

 

 

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A WGPR DETROIT BACK-PAGE NEWSPRINT FEATURE: ’81

DETROIT FREE PRESS November 15, 1981

DETROIT FREE PRESS November 15, 1981
DETROIT FREE PRESS November 15, 1981

 

Sunday, November 15, 1981

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: WGPR

Above article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2019. Newspapers.com.

The above featured WGPR newspaper feature was ‘clipped,’ saved, and imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

 

 

A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: On your PC? You can read this entire article ENLARGED. For a larger detailed view click above image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.

Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB.COM home page.

 

 

Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features? GO HERE.

 

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WGPR-FM STAYS REMOTELY ON DIAL… JULY 17, 1965

From the MCRFB news archives:

WGPR Station on Move, Has 36 Remotes a Week

 

 

 

 

 

DETROIT — A radio station that’s “kinda movin'” gets listeners and WGPR-FM is a station constantly on the move. Floyd M. Jones,  station manager, said the station is “No. 1 among FM stations and No. 3 among stations — period.”

Probably the strongest example of how this station moves, however, is a countdown of its remotes — 36 a week. Jones handle a two-hour daily, three hours every Saturday evening doing a jazz record show from the Disk Jockey Lounge. Dan (Bull Frog) Harrison does a R&B record show from the Chit Chat Lounge. Deejay Larry Dixon may handle a random remote every now and then, but nothing steady at the moment; however, he does have a weekly record hop.

The 50,000-watt FM station broadcasts about 20 hours a day covering a radius of 75 miles around the Detroit metropolis. One reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the station, Jones said, is that some 87 per cent of Detroit’s  Negro element has FM radios. “But it’s more than that. We’re creating the image here that FM is more than just a background medium. We’re putting out a new sound.”

While the station programs record shows for the diverse Detroit populace such as Greeks, Italians, Hungarians, Polish and Mexicans, the main portion of each day is used for programming R&B — a total of three programs a day for a total of seven hours. Jazz takes up about four hours each day. Gospel music is played early in the morning. Sunday morning is devoted to remote broadcasts throughout most of the day through local churches. The station employs about 40 people. Bob Longwell is the station’s general manager.

Another reason the station is moving, according to Jones, is that programming and air personalities aims at three important and large audience segments. “I take care of the jazz fans,” Jones said. “Larry Dixon is a teen-oriented personality. And “Bull Frog” is for the rhythm and blues fans.” END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; July 17, 1965).

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