107.5 WGPR Is History [[as of 12 AM Monday, 10/25)

**313WX** · October-22-11, 10:08 AM

The Free Masons have finally sold out to Radio One [[the same corporation who brought out Kiss 105.9 and plays the same old tired songs every other minute). I know the guy who usually broadcasts during the weekday evenings is gone, and most of the Public Radio stuff is pretty much gone too.

It's a sad day and an end of an era for music in Detroit.

EDIT: Per Wikipedia, Hot 102.7 [[the Hip-Hop station) will be broadcasting from this frequency and 102.7 will become a Gospel Station.

**Thruster315** · October-22-11, 10:24 AM

Wasn't this the first home for the Electrifying Mojo back in the day before he jumped over to WHYT & WJLB?

Ahhhh... those were some musically adventurous days back then.

**MidTownMs** · October-22-11, 10:39 AM

I was not a fan...but this is still sad.

**Hamtragedy** · October-22-11, 11:15 AM

Yep, Mojo got his start there....and his finish. His regular Saturday broadcasts ended in the mid 90's after he started playing classical music. His noon-5 shift usually started out playing Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, he would drop a few of his own "Mental Machine" poetry quips [[which were available at the Shrine of the Black Madonna), and usually around 2 he was in full ParliaFunkadelicment mode.

One day, a young schoolgirl called him wanting to know if he knew of any Black Classical composers, and he didn't. So he researched it, and actually began sprinkling bits of classical into his shows. GPR management wouldn't stand for it, and so he was finally let go.

GPR also had a short-lived show in the mid-90's called "Deep Space Radio" where a handful of local , dare I call them "techno" [[just doesn't do it justice) DJs would land their own version of the Mothership and other aliens. I remember driving down the Jeffries listening one night and it had that "one of a kind, totally Detroit feel to it." Unfortunately, the time slot [[Saturday nite 10-Midnight) were prime "drivin' to the club" hours and only a handful of people remember it, or even knew it existed.

So to Charles Johnson, Marvelous Marv, Tony Anthony, Buzz Gorie, D Wynn, and even RJ Watkins, thanks. Y'all made it feel like home.

**animatedmartian** · October-22-11, 01:19 PM

Is this the "New" 107.5 radio station? Sad to hear it go, but I never understood why they always called themselves "The new 107.5!"

**Detwa** · October-22-11, 02:03 PM

That's too bad. You could still turn them and hear old school soul and R&B. Now there's only that station with Frankie Darcell and I refuse to listen to her.

**jtf1972** · October-22-11, 03:22 PM

As a former member of the air staff at WGPR in the late 90's, I am sad to see it go. I always felt that the station had such unrealized potential...

RIP, WGPR. An era is truly ending...

**MidTownMs** · October-22-11, 03:29 PM

I am still trying to get over the loss of WJZZ...

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-22-11, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

I am still trying to get over the loss of WJZZ...

Ditto, I sure miss Rosetta Hines. She was fly.

**iheartthed** · October-22-11, 05:55 PM

Was John Mason still doing the morning show on WGPR? He's like the kiss of death for independently owned radio stations...

**313WX** · October-22-11, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Was John Mason still doing the morning show on WGPR? He's like the kiss of death for independently owned radio stations...

Yep. This was the third station he was on in Detroit's market [[following WJLB and WDMK). No one's really sure where he or the rest of the crew there will end up when the dust settles. His options at least are running out though. Frankie Darcell has WMXD on lock and then Steve Harvey is syndicated on that station in the morning. Meanwhile besides the fact that he sort of burned his bridge with Radio One already, WDMK has Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden on during the morning and afternoons. But really the thing is he wants to syndicate his own show, and I believe WGPR was the only independent Urban AC station left in the city where he could do that.

Then of course that still leaves WCHB in all of this too. Right now Radio One now operates the 99.9 frequency and they're testing it now with simulcasts from WCHB. The ultimate plan is to use it for repeats of WDMK, but who knows what could happen in the near future with that.

**Malcove Magnesia** · October-22-11, 08:32 PM

how many independent non-micro-power stations remain in the Metro area?

**Nick** · October-22-11, 09:44 PM

sad to hear the loss of 107.5

This might be a good time to mention that there is a group in midtown that is organizing to apply for a low-power FM station. They are looking for volunteers! They could use some help, here is there facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/MidtownSound

**MidTownMs** · October-22-11, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

Ditto, I sure miss Rosetta Hines. She was fly.

Earlier this week I heard an interview with Rosetta Hines...I don't remember what station it was but she mentioned that if you go to her website www.rosettahines.com there is information about her internet Jazz Radio Show.

**313WX** · October-22-11, 11:25 PM

I guess it's Monday at 12 AM that they're ending their broadcast.

**jerrytimes** · October-23-11, 01:41 AM

A sad day in Detroit radio was when 98.7 WLLZ went away to [[if I remember correctly) smooth jazz crap.

**Zacha341** · October-23-11, 07:22 AM

Adventurous indeed! OH THIS IS VERY SAD NEWS!

I go back to the late 70's with this station. I recall the ORIGINAL Mojo [[not the later incarnations) and his incredible playlists! WGPR was and IS the only R&B station to play 20-30 minute music 'blocks' at the time. The only other station dong that was WSCX [[classic rock station).

Continuing in the long music 'block' trend, 107.5 is one of the few stations you can still hear Sly and Family Stone rare cuts, Curtis Mayfeild along side Stephanie Mills, with the Funkadelics pulling up the rear. I will truly miss this station.

107.5 had a great playlist section on their web site where you could track hard to identify classic P-funk, soul and R & B classics by name. It was a station where you put on and hear the longer track soul classics and almost forget you were listening to radio... Without the constant commercial yammering and you could hear something besides the so called 'popular' pop and hip hop.

Umm.... on the FM dial outside of WGPR your not going to hear Marvin Gaye's "Sanctified Lady", nor the Bride of Funkenstiens' 10 minute long "Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy."...! No way!

I guess satellite, web radio or your own MP3 collection will win out...

Originally Posted by Thruster315

Wasn't this the first home for the Electrifying Mojo back in the day before he jumped over to WHYT & WJLB?

Ahhhh... those were some musically adventurous days back then.

**Zacha341** · October-23-11, 07:30 AM

I feel you on that too.

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

I am still trying to get over the loss of WJZZ...

**Zacha341** · October-23-11, 07:33 AM

Yeah, there are some who love the popularity of Baisden and Harvey on these stations, but I rarely can listen to them more than half a song or so before they start yammering and playing commecials. And I will miss the TRUE OLD SCHOOL playlist of WGPR. There was nothing like it! No hip hop either. Dang this is a bad day!

Originally Posted by 313WX

Yep. This was the third station he was on in Detroit's market [[following WJLB and WDMK). No one's really sure where he or the rest of the crew there will end up when the dust settles. His options at least are running out though. Frankie Darcell has WMXD on lock and then Steve Harvey is syndicated on that station in the morning. Meanwhile besides the fact that he sort of burned his bridge with Radio One already, WDMK has Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden on during the morning and afternoons. But really the thing is he wants to syndicate his own show, and I believe WGPR was the only independent Urban AC station left in the city where he could do that.

Then of course that still leaves WCHB in all of this too. Right now Radio One now operates the 99.9 frequency and they're testing it now with simulcasts from WCHB. The ultimate plan is to use it for repeats of WDMK, but who knows what could happen in the near future with that.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · October-23-11, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by MidTownMs

Earlier this week I heard an interview with Rosetta Hines...I don't remember what station it was but she mentioned that if you go to her website www.rosettahines.com there is information about her internet Jazz Radio Show.

Thx for the heads up MidTown.

**313WX** · October-23-11, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Yeah, there are some who love the popularity of Baisden and Harvey on these stations, but I rarely can listen to them more than half a song or so before they start yammering and playing commecials. And I will miss the TRUE OLD SCHOOL playlist of WGPR. There was nothing like it! No hip hop either. Dang this is a bad day!

I completely agree with you there.

The nice part about WGPR was that since it was an independent station they essentially didn't have much of a limit on the music they could play. They did play some new skool music like the other stations, but it was mostly B-side artists or remakes [[modern artists who have an old skool feel to their music). You wouldn't expect to hear the same Anita Baker or Luther Vandross song every hour. In fact, you could even request songs on that station and they would play them with no question [[9/10, they would have them, if not, they would let you know they didn't have it and play something else, but at least they were honest). If one tries that on the other stations they'll damn near slam the phone down in your face.

As for Baisden, Harvey, etc., I can see their appeal from the viewpoint that we have a nationally syndicated show just for the Black Community and we want to support it [[Sort of like Arsenio Hall back in the 90s). In fact, it's these shows that probably bring in the ratings for WDMK and WMXD, because I highly doubt many people can sit there and listen to the same tired songs every other minute, then 5-minute long commercial blocks and finally Frankie Darcell sitting there yapping about nothing all day.

**internet_pseudopod** · October-23-11, 11:28 AM

It was inevitable.... anything that I like or use on a regular basis is sold, changed beyond recognition, or adulterated in some fashion.

**Vic_doucette** · October-23-11, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

The Free Masons have finally sold out to Radio One

That's not correct.

Radio One has signed an agreement to provide programming and marketing for 107.5 FM, but it does not own the station. The Free Masons still hold the license to the station and retain ownership.

**313WX** · October-23-11, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Vic_doucette

That's not correct.

Radio One has signed an agreement to provide programming and marketing for 107.5 FM, but it does not own the station. The Free Masons still hold the license to the station and retain ownership.

True, but it's semantics.

It's like a developer leasing real estate to Target for them to use. Most people will still see it as Target, regardless of who really owns the structure.

**313WX** · October-23-11, 11:06 PM

Very fitting way to end things. The station signed off with Alexander Zonjic's "Doin' The D" show and with his song "Doin' The D." The last regular song was Jill Scott's "Golden", played Sunady morning at 5:57 am.

Apparently, they're ultimately ending things with Boyz to Men's remake of "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" repeats for now, with announcements suggesting that WGPR's audience switches over to 105.9 Kiss FM in between.