WJR "Emotionally Wrought" Over Death of J.P.
Radio/TV Dial Pages
6 AM from the Golden Tower of the Fisher Building - the Voice of the
Great Lakes - WJR 760 Detroit, Dan Streeter begins the first Morning
Show sans J.P.: "We are hurting here at WJR and you can help it
better." Streeter continued, "This is the most difficult broadcast
I've ever done. J.P. McCarthy ...is dead." Choking on the
words, Streeter explained that though he was emotionally wroght, but
that there doing this first broadcast after J.P.'s death is where he
"wanted to be". And so began the hours of tribute to the longest
running Morning Radio host in Detroit history - Joseph Priestly
McCarthy.
News Director, Dick Haefner first reported the news to the WJR
audience on Wednesday afternoon: "The doctor said that he died very
fast and in an unpredictable manner. His wife and kids were at his
bedside."
WJR's spokesperson, Ann Thomas relayed that "Joseph Priestly
McCarthy died this afternoon at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering
Hospital Cancer Center at 4:50 PM. His family were all present
including his wife, Judy and his five children. The cause of death
was general organ failure due to his illness of myelo displastic
syndrome."
Mike Feezey, General Manager of WJR is "deeply saddened" by
McCarthy's death. "I talked to him Friday," Feezey said. "He was
convinced til the end that he would beat it. His spirits were good."
McCarthy had been doing the morning program continuously for over 30
years, since December, 1964.
"Radio's best friend," Art Vuolo contacted in Atlanta said, "It was
a shock that it happened so quickly. I talked to Dick Purtan who
basically has been doing mornings for the past 30 years in Detroit,
too. He was shocked" and fighting emotion on the phone.
"I'm proud to have made the last video of J.P. as a presentation for
WJR in regard to the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB)
Lifetime Achievement Award," Vuolo said. "This was presented to him
in February." Vuolo speculated from the consensus of the many that
called him during the evening, as it occurred to each that the
mornings would be void of J.P. McCarthy, "This will be a very big
hole to fill."
WJBK-TV2 contacted Bill Bonds on vacation in Scotland, "J.P. was like
a personal friend to us all." As Bonds lost his composure on the phone,
he told of his sister visiting from Lansing and missing J.P. in the
mornings "so much".
WJBK's Warren Pierce worked for many years at WJR said, "He loved what
he did. He said 'You'll have to drag me out of here.'"
Former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young said that McCarthy was "one of the
good guys."
Ann Thomas, a spokesperson for WJR said yesterday that McCarthy was
diagnosed with this rare and fatal blood disease in early July.
In a press release on Wednesday, Aug 2, J.P. McCarthy and WJR
announced that McCarthy would be off the air for two weeks. During
this time he would be receiving treatment for a potentially fatal
disease - Myelo Displastic Syndrome. On-going treatment would have
required bone marrow transplants. McCarthy said that this posed a
problem due to the fact that he had no siblings for the proper match.
However, he and his doctors were looking into other options. Donor
testing turned out hundreds of volunteers at area hospitals. Testing
was proceeding at several sites at the time of McCarthy's death.
Written remembrances will be posted and forwarded from the Radio/TV Dial
Pages.
Michael R. Lewis <lewi...@metronet.lib.mi.us>
Radio/TV Dial Pages http://nether.net/~mikel/radio.html
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