paul w. smith

Paul W. Smith was 15 years old when he started his radio career in 1968 at WVMO/Monroe, Michigan. In the 1970s, he divided his time between college and WSPD/Toledo and later returned to the station for nearly a decade as asalesman and afternoon drive host. A successful turn as a television morning show host led to Smith’s first morning drive show on CWA/Toledo.

In 1984, Smith moved to morning drive and to CKLW/Windsor, Ontario for a year before moving to WJR/Detroit as a weekend host. Within a year, Smith had added a weekday show at WABC/New York to his duties, later moving (and commuting) to WMCA/New York while still hosting weekends at WJR.

In 1990, Smith was hosting a noon interview show at WJR while also working mornings (via satellite) at WWDB-FM/Philadelphia. With the 1996 passing of longtime WJR morning host J.P. McCarthy, Smith began a lengthy run as the station’s morning host. Smith also co-hosts Destination 313, a weekly interview show devoted to Detroit events and entrepreneurs.

Through his annual golf tournament, Smith has raised over $4,000,000 for the Detroit Police Athletic League.

Paul W. Smith was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.