“Good mornin’ world!” If you lived in Detroit from 1965 to 1995, that was the greeting you woke up to every morning on the radio. The voice belonged to J.P. McCarthy, an icon of Detroit broadcasting who ruled the radio waves in the Motor City for thirty years on 760 WJR.
It has been 20 years since Detroit lost one of its most recognizable voices, and to honor the memory of the man who meant so much to all of us, Detroit Public Television has produced J.P. McCarthy – The Voice of Detroit, an hour-long documentary that tells J.P.’s story, the ultimate local-kid-done-good tale.
Working extensively with the McCarthy family and conducting more than 20 interviews with J.P.’s friends, family, co-workers and contemporaries, J.P. McCarthy – The Voice of Detroit is a fitting memorial to someone who was considered more of a family member than a voice on the radio to anyone who tuned in to hear his morning show or the Focus program over the years.
As Mitch Albom said, “You know how sports teams wear a logo on the front of their jersey? He was the front of your jersey if you lived in Detroit.”
J.P. McCarthy – The Voice of Detroit will air Sunday, March, 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Detroit Public Television and will also stream online at http://dptv.org/jp. J.P. McCarthy – The Voice of Detroit will also repeat on Thursday, March 17th at 8:00 P.M.
