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

[Zacha341]

Smooth jazz sign off. Ick! I'm not really switching to anything with enthusiasm. I always had 107.5 set on my cars as one of my favorites... over the decades. The other R&Bs "pop" DJ as media star syndicates are ok, but "none" can replace the low-profile DJ - music first style of WGPR and their specific classic, old-school play list.

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.

[MidTownMs]

Thx for the heads up MidTown.

my pleasure....

[mallory]

There is both good and bad in this change. The bad is obvious; WGPR was operated like a "mom-n-pop" radio station in a major market, something that is unheard of in today's corporate radio world. Translated, that means the radio station will now sound like every other corporate-run radio station in the country [[read: shi**y, with a very tight, boring, repetitive playlist).

The good news: the Free Masons have owned and operated that station for ever. Think about it: how can you put a radio station on the air that targets black listeners in a predominantly black city and not do well in the ratings? The FM's found a way. You CAN run a successful mom-n-pop in a city like Detroit, but they always found a way to be near the bottom of the ratings pile, year after year. They didn't deserve to own this station. Having worked there from 1986 to 1988, I found it amazing how poorly it was run. Yes, George Matthews, that includes you. So, for all of the people who worked there over the years, including the folks I had the pleasure to work with [[Marv, JC, Foody, Henry Tyler, RJ, Gerald McBride, Joe Spencer), please rest knowing that FINALLY that frequency might actually make some ratings noise in this city.

The other piece of good news [[no pun intended) is that we will soon have a gospel radio station on FM in this market. I remember a conversation I had with Verna Green [[GM of WJLB back in the 80's) when we discussed what type of station Detroit needed. She said without hesitation: gospel! It only took 25 years, but now that is finally coming true. It will do very well and hopefully it will be marketed properly.

[jtf1972]

I remember reading once back in the 90's on a list of rankings in the market where the Urban morning shows came in. WGPR was at 29 [[i believe.) It was not a comprehensive list, so out of curiosity I counted the stations. There were only 27 [[i believe.) That meant that every single station in the market, including low power foreign language stations... and one station not even in the Detroit/Windsor market... beat us in the ratings. Embarrassing, especially considering the signal can be heard as far as Ohio.

[Zacha341]

Interesting points. The playlist WAS a bit repetitive - I just happened to really like the rotation [[repetition) of songs played. But some things about the station did scream 'low rent'. I was just a faithful 'tenant' I guess!!!! And I liked the non-syndicate feel of WGPR.

I DID often wondered how they could make money with so few commercials, even though I was enjoying that factor. I'm not too big on gospel music but would like to learn more about the genre and will see/ listen and check out the new station - for a bit at least.

There is both good and bad in this change. The bad is obvious; WGPR was operated like a "mom-n-pop" radio station in a major market, something that is unheard of in today's corporate radio world. Translated, that means the radio station will now sound like every other corporate-run radio station in the country [[read: shi**y, with a very tight, boring, repetitive playlist).....

[313WX]

WGPR was finally coming around though as they were bringing in the state of the art equipment. During the last few years they were sounding better than the corporate-owned stations at times in terms of presentation. The Masons probably jumped the gun from that extent that they didn't give it a chance [[they operated with low-budget stuff for so long then quickly leased out the studio as soon as they got some real equipment). However, the biggest problems I still believe were they didn't get into the synidcation business and on top of that all the public access stuff.

The evening broadcast for example was the highest rated in the market as of Friday, 10/21 if I recall correctly [[or genre, one of them). And that proves they had finally found a good niche too, it was just a matter of people discovering it. Even in the latest PPMs they were scoring 3.5s, whichwhile it's not particularly impressive is nothing to scoff at for a independent, low-budget station in a market as big as Detroit. As a comparison, Philly's gospel station [[the same thing Radio One's bringing to Detroit) only socres a 2 on average and they're still keeping it on the air.

[CountrySquire]

This is terrible news! I discovered WGPR in the late 80s when I would tune in on late nights to catch the 'Billy T and the Effect' show. Later thier classic soul format on evenings and weekends helped me fill the I pod with some pretty obscure stuff.

[msamslex]

Boys To Men song, Hard To Say Goodbye is still playing as of this morning. Is the format going to change and when? If so, what is it going to be?

[Hypestyles]

so, what's going to happen to the WGPR radio studio/building on E. Jefferson.. has Radio One taken it over, or do all the stations still broadcast from the E. Franklin building?

[jnew22]

I have been a long time listener of WGPR with the electrifying MOJO and in the 90's with Rosetta Hines after WJZZ changed formats [[Detroit has not been the same since Jazz-wise) and I was shocked and surprised to find out WGPR is history. I usually listen to the old school Saturday especially with Renee Hurt and her work-out mix at 9 p.m It would always bring back memories of college and the good old days. There is a void for the 40+ crowd who still like good music and not everything loud - but not saying nothing as is the case with today's music. I'll miss the Art of Politics on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. where I could get the truth about Detroit politics except for Kwame but even that was OK. It was like a family member coming to visit you look forward to seeing. A little eccentric, maybe a little crazy but you always had a good time and you knew you were getting what other people were afraid to say. People say the station was low in the ratings. Since when was it number 1? It never was. It never wanted to be. The fresh thing about WGPR and "The Rhythm" was it marched to the beat of it's own drum. There was not anything like it.

The other stations have the same cookie cutter format - there is a comedian for laughs even though there is nothing funny, there is the DJ who is the leader of the show and there is the straight person or the 'voice of reason'. Must we all think alike? Does it always have to be about the money? I understand Radio One has deep pockets and I understand change but what I don't understand is the voice of Detroit is being faded out by syndication. I don't want to listen to all talk with WCHB [[too confrontational). I don't want funny. I want the local flavor mixed in with people who have a passion for what they do and we got that with Mason and the rest of the WGPR personalities. It is truly a sad day in Detroit. We are becoming a monolithic society. I understand it's a business but since the station's inception, it never broke any records ratings-wise. It was about the money and that's sad. Everything is not about money. Maybe I'm the one that's naive.

[313WX]

Boys To Men song, Hard To Say Goodbye is still playing as of this morning. Is the format going to change and when? If so, what is it going to be?

I heard that Praise 102.7 isn't supposed to begin broadcasting until Monday, so it may not very well be until Monday when the change is complete.

[mallory]

I think that the new Praise 102.7 should use the WGPR call letters. Back when I worked there, it was always thought that the letters stood for: Where God's Presence Radiates [[though most of us said that it really stood for: We Get Payola Regularly).

Ahh, those were the days, marching to the beat of our own drum and not becoming "corporate" like everyone else on the dial. Those days are surely long gone now.

[CountrySquire]

New format is on now, GREAT! Just what detroit needs, another hip hop station to add to the 50 that are all ready on the air. Taking 107.5 off pre sets now.