760 WJR: 100 Years of Radio and One Webpage of Shame

[Kratos429]

So I was checking out the "third quarter century" page that looks at 1972-1997.

A significant portion of that page, as were a significant portion of those years, is dedicated to the career and death of legendary morning drive host...

Jason Priestly McCarthy?

Joseph Priestly McCarthy's Irish eyes are certainly not smiling on this one.

https://www.wjr.com/2022/04/04/wjr-100- ... 1972-1997/

[ProducerXM]

That is unbelievable. UNBELIEVABLE.

[MWmetalhead]

Not much proofreading going on in that building, evidently.

That very bad faux pas is symbolic of how far WJR has fallen from grace over the past two decades.

The station is a shell of its former self.

[craig11152]

Come on you guys, give them some credit. Jason was spelled correctly. No squiggly red line under it.

[ZenithCKLW]

They also goofed by writing on the page that was Detroit Riots were in 1963. They ALSO narrated it was 1963 in the aired segment. It was 1967.

[Ben Zonia]

It's also Priestley, not Priestly. He was named after Joseph Priestley, famed 18th Century Chemist and Inventor, and who discovered OXYGEN.

Since no whippersnappers even remember JP, and word text and grammar processors and spellchecks are programmed/coded by whippersnappers, this was probably not completely their fault. They only know who Jason Priestley, the actor, is, and the editing may have replaced it.

When JP returned from Armed Forces Radio in Alaska, and got his first civilian radio gig at WTAC Big 600 in Flint in 1956, his name, Joe McCarthy, was "radioactive", because of the recent McCarthy hearings. They told him that as the first Top 40 DJ at WTAC, that he couldn't use Joe, and he thus became "Big Jay McCarthy". He soon was hired at WJR, the first time, and became JP McCarthy.

Years later, JP returned to the WTAC Studios just North of Grand Blanc to record some Voiceover spots, where he met with the recently deceased Peter Cavanaugh. There was an absolutely hilarious exchange between JP and Peter C. When he arrived, Pete asked JP if he wanted something to drink, and asked if he wanted water or beer (could have been wine, but its hard to believe they had wine there). JP said beer, and stated the reason he didn't want water, which I can't repeat here. Colonel Flagg will probably chime in and explain this more. It may be in one edition of Pete Cavanaugh's Autobiography, "Local DJ", as there are edited later editions which may not contain it, along with other embarrassing stories about people who worked at the station, which were objected to and removed as I recall.

[craig11152]

Since no whippersnappers even remember JP, and word text and grammar processors and spellchecks are programmed/coded by whippersnappers, this was probably not completely their fault. They only know who Jason Priestley, the actor, is, and the editing may have replaced it.

I would argue it's completely their fault. If you don't know who the man was you damn well figure it out rather than conjuring up a name that isn't accurate.
Maybe they never had homework in school?

[Colonel Flagg]

Since no whippersnappers even remember JP, and word text and grammar processors and spellchecks are programmed/coded by whippersnappers, this was probably not completely their fault. They only know who Jason Priestley, the actor, is, and the editing may have replaced it.

I would argue it's completely their fault. If you don't know who the man was you damn well figure it out rather than conjuring up a name that isn't accurate.
Maybe they never had homework in school?

The often criticized Mitch Albom and crew spent an entire segment a week or so ago, making fun of the inaccuracies in the "WJR 100" promos. I kind of caught it midstream, so I'm not sure if the J.P. typo is something they covered or not. There was no mercy, or holding back, so I am stunned that corrections have not been made by now. Or, that someone hasn't been taken to the woodshed by management

Ben, the Peter C and J.P. story is a new one on me.

[Mega Hertz]

JP deserves better. I was young but certainly remember his death. One of the best.

[mikemach]

First name is now fixed, but middle name is still wrong if Ben Zonia is correct...

[Ben Zonia]

I can't believe that after all this, they didn't take the time to check "Priestly" further. I just did. Took less than two minutes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._McCarthy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Priestley

"Preistly" is an adjective describing things related to Roman Catholic Priests. JP was Catholic and went to DeLaSalle, but the surname is spelled "Priestley".

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/priestly

[Robert Faygo]

I especially love that in one of the composite header photos (the one with the FOX Theatre marquee) there is an SUV there that belongs to WWJ!

LMAO

[radioandtventhusiast]

Since no whippersnappers even remember JP, and word text and grammar processors and spellchecks are programmed/coded by whippersnappers, this was probably not completely their fault. They only know who Jason Priestley, the actor, is, and the editing may have replaced it.

I would argue it's completely their fault. If you don't know who the man was you damn well figure it out rather than conjuring up a name that isn't accurate.
Maybe they never had homework in school?

The often criticized Mitch Albom and crew spent an entire segment a week or so ago, making fun of the inaccuracies in the "WJR 100" promos. I kind of caught it midstream, so I'm not sure if the J.P. typo is something they covered or not. There was no mercy, or holding back, so I am stunned that corrections have not been made by now. Or, that someone hasn't been taken to the woodshed by management

Ben, the Peter C and J.P. story is a new one on me.

What were some of the other inaccuracies?

[ChrisWL1980]

Jim "Vinyl" instead of Vinall is another one I noticed.
I found WJR's 50th anniversary broadcast from 1972 on the MCRFB site and listened to that instead. Much better done.

[Ben Zonia]

Jim "Vinyl" instead of Vinall is another one I noticed.
I found WJR's 50th anniversary broadcast from 1972 on the MCRFB site and listened to that instead. Much better done.

Is the 60th Anniversary Focus Show from 1982, with Bud Guest, Charlie Park, and JP McCarthy on the MCRFB site? Also repeated on the 70th Anniversary in 1992. JP related the story about how he never quite got over being told that he wasn't quite ready to move over from WTAC to WFDF in 1956. Later that same year, he got the gig for his first time at WJR.