Last weekend, Detroit Public Television CEO and former CBS Detroit market manager Rich Homberg sent me a feature story produced by MSU’s Russ White for WKAR Radio all about the legendary Detroit morning star, J.P. McCarthy.
It’s the 18th anniversary of McCarthy’s passing, stricken by a rare blood disease that led to his death at 62. WJR has never been the same. 
J.P. was part of that rare breed of “MOR” morning shows who literally reflected the ethos of their towns. Like WGN’s Wally Philips and WOR’s John Gambling, McCarthy had the magic Rolodex which led to seemingly impromptu interviews with Governor Blanchard, Lee Iacocca, Sparky Anderson, and various U.S. Presidents.
He was Detroit. I remember as a young kid growing up in Motwn, my dad who sold paper and plastics products for a living, was a J.P. P1. He would tell me the story of how young, up and coming DJ Joe McCarthy had to change his on-air name to J.P. in order to avoid confusion with the infamous Senator of Wisconsin with the same name, shamed during the “Red Scare” in the ‘50s. I didn’t totally “get” J.P. and what WJR was all about when I was first forced to listen as I accompanied my dad on his commute to downtown Detroit.
But over time, I began to appreciate just how special he was – and just how different his brand of radio truly was. Looking back on it, WJR in those days was very much like what great public radio stations are today – except that it was 100% local. At one time, J.P. hosted both morning and afternoon drive. Eventually, he was locked into mornings, where he owned the ratings for decades, and then came back on the air for Focus, a long-form interview show at noon that was very much a precursor to Terry Gross’ Fresh Air on NPR. J.P. would have amazing guests, but really didn’t interview them – he had conversations with them, and you got to sit in.
On WJR in those days, Karl Haas’ Adventures in Good Music was all about classical music, complete with a piano in the studio, while Mike Whorf’s Kaleidoscope was a daily documentary about history, famous people, and all sorts of interesting topics. It was very much like an audio version of what we’ve become accustomed to on The History Channel or Biography. Other personalities were in the J.P. mode, as Jimmy Launce handled his own variety show. And after Tiger games in overnights, it was “Captain” Jay Roberts hosting Night Flight 760, a music show that was clever, and very theatre of the mind.
And yet, it was J.P. McCarthy at the epicenter of it all. If you listen to Russ White’s piece, you’ll hear just how smooth and debonair he was – a sort of Walter Cronkite meets Cary Grant meets Johnny Carson. And, of course, he had his own theme song.
If you wanted to know what was going on in the Motor City, McCarthy was the voice. But unlike today’s talk show hosts, he was apolitical. You couldn’t tell if he was a Democrat or Republican – but you knew he was Detroit.
Here are two J.P. stories. Every year, in sort of a Ground Hog Day fashion, he would call the mission at San Juan Capistrano where the swallows magically return on March 19th. It was just one of those quirky but charming things that you came to expect from the show.
But on a more serious note, the stock market crash of 1987 stands out to me. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 508 points on Monday, October 17th. That sounds like a major drop by 2013 standards, but at the time, it amounted to more than a 22% plunge. At today’s levels, it would equate to a loss of about 3,500 points in one day. It would definitely get your attention, and back then, it got mine. To say the least, people were pretty shook up by this, so all eyes were on Wall Street that next day. I vividly remember waking up and instead of listening to the standard FM radio morning fare, went right to AM 760 and J.P. McCarthy. Throughout the morning he had experts on the show, taking a look at what was happening with the economy in the U.S. and the world. And then at 9:30, J.P. took his audience right down to the floor of the exchange as the market opened to improved numbers. It was soothing, reassuring, and the kind of thing that only someone as trusted and connected as McCarthy could pull off. That’s what a bigger than life morning guy could do.
Could this style of radio survive in the PPM era is a question that many of you may be asking, and I thought about that a lot while writing this post. Some say that interviews don’t work with meters, but I would counter with the notion that great conversation, compelling local content, and real style cut through any ratings methodology and produce results. At its essence, much of what public radio presents every day is a similar style of radio, and in market after market, there is a sizable audience eager to be informed.
But McCarthy’s style transcended what we’ve grown accustomed to on public radio, and bears no resemblance to what news/talk radio has devolved to, almost at the same time as McCarthy’s passing in 1995. I am not a rear-view mirror guy, and rarely do I go back in time – in this case, lots of years. But as broadcast radio continues to look for its identity and its true purpose in an increasingly crowded world of entertainment and information, perhaps a look back at why a guy like J.P. McCarthy captured the essence of a major market in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, and into the ‘90s is worth more than a little nostalgic look.
J.P. R.I.P.
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Hear,hear. And J.P.’s secret talent was he knew how to just be himself. His Everyman self. With a mic in front of him. Detroit tuned in everyday to check in with a friend.
Well put, Jim. There was a comfort factor with J.P. that is so rarely heard on the radio. He made it sound effortless – clearly a star who was very comfortable in his own skin, turning the spotlight on his guests and the audience. Thanks for the comment.
Why do we have to qualify everything with “PPM era”? Do you qualify J.P.’s personality by saying it came during the “Diary era”? No. Because good radio is and was good radio. There was bad radio on the air back then and there’s good radio now.
That being said, to answer your question, “Yes.” Why else would WAMU be in the thick of the ratings in DC? People will come to and listen to intelligent talk, you just have to find the people who can do it and encourage them.
Jojo, I raised the question because it is a valid discussion point. I consistently give the nod to public radio stations in this blog and appreciate the successes they’ve had in metered measurement. Our company works for a number of public radio outlets and our PRTS studies provide national measurement for dozens of stations in the system. So I don’t wish to demean the historic accomplishments of J.P. or the current successes of public radio stations any more than it’s fair to compare Miguel Cabrera to Ty Cobb. The blog’s purpose is to illuminate and stimulate, thus the PPM question. And based on your reaction, mission accomplished. Seriously, thanks for taking the time to read it and offer your thoughts.
I wasn’t implying that you were demeaning J.P.
Allow me to clarify my point: Some of my career was working for people more bent on gaming the system than striving to improve their product. They seemed preoccupied with the Arbitron rules (diary and PPM). I never felt the consumers (clients and listeners) benefited from this.
Certainly, methodology should be considered, but when we think about that over all else, the product becomes secondary to watching meters.
I don’t want to come off as living in the “old school was best” fantasy world. There were bad radio stations back then as well (possibly more), but I believe greatness comes from flying in the face of conventional wisdom, and I’m sure you agree.
The discussion should be more about where the JP’s of today are working (I believe the answer would be podcasting or cable TV — I’m thinking Chris Hardwick) rather than whether radio methodology could accommodate them.
WAMU offers local, long form interviews (a la “Focus”) that’s why I brought them up. I didn’t mean to insinuate you were ignoring that genre.
I hope that clears it up for me, I apologize for a sloppy first post that wasn’t well written.
Jojo, thanks for the amplification and the clarification. You are correct, of course, that WAMU (and others) are doing great radio and generating solid ratings. Appreciate you taking the time to clear up this long-form discussion.
Man, that read did my heart good! Great stuff Fred..JP was one of a kind.
Appreciate that, Dave. Thanks for continuing to be an avid reader!
Fred, when Kidd Krddick died, one of the first people I thought of was my friend Skip Essick who did I a masterful job of respectfully saying goodbye to his friend. As PD, Skip could have had someone else on the staff carry out the orders..but that isn’t the kinda guy Skip is.So on the morning after JPs death, and Detroit was reeling from the news, Skip went in and had JPs steaming hot coffee in his mug and ready to go. The copy was pulled and the staff was in place. To the waiting television cameras and newspaper photos, it seemed as if JP would walk thru the door at any minute. If it wan’t for those headphones resting on the microphone as if to say’The Voice of Detroit has left the building.’ What a celebration of JPs life followed for the next 4 hours including hi family that called in to thank everyone for lightning their load. That was a class performance in the time of crisis. That’s what JP McCarthy was..a class act.
Geri, thanks for the insights about that morning that changed Detroit radio. You shared something that most people don’t know about. Much appreciated.
Great post Fred. Anyone who lived in Detroit during that era was treated to a wonderful radio station that embodied local sensitivity, discernible variety and subtle elegance.
J.P. was much loved and deservedly so. His commitment to Detroit and his listeners was palpable the second he cracked the mic. He was genuine, compassionate and in touch with the hearts of his listeners. I remember listening one morning and hearing Pope Paul VI call in to his show. The Pope! When J.P. was stricken with myelodysplastic syndrome, thousands of Detroiters lined up to see if their bone marrow was a match for his. Even after it was announced that J.P had passed, people continued to stand in line and offer themselves as donors.
For those who don’t know the story of WJR, here’s a clip that gives a sense of the station’s impact in the Midwest. J.P. appears starting at 2:15 in.
https://archive.org/details/WjrOneOfAKin
Dave, thanks for the hometown perspective and helping to tell the J.P. story. Much appreciated.
Just read the JP McCarthy blog and it is great. What memories it brought back and still brings pangs of loss. As I never missed a Karl Haas, Kalaidiscope or Nightflight, JP was a part of my every day. He is sorely missed and you articulated his impact with great clarity and insight.
Mom, I can always count on you for a positive comment. (Take that, HD Radio Farce!)
Here it is March 17th and I’m wondering if you have a clip or copy of JPs “what’s it like to be Irish” which I heard he always recited on the air almost every St Patrick’s day. Wanted to put it out there for my grandkids on Facebook so they could appreciate the true meaning of their heritage. Thanks.
Geri, I’m not a “collector” of this stuff, but if you get hold of Art Vuolo, he might even have it on video.