Paul W. Smith
| Paul W. Smith | |
|---|---|
| File:Paul W. Smith in 2012.jpg
Paul W. Smith hosts a St. Patrick's Day celebration at Detroit in 2012.
|
|
| Birth name | Paul William Smith |
| Born | 1953 (age 70–71) Monroe, Michigan |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Show | The Paul W. Smith Show |
| Station(s) | WJR |
| Time slot | Weekday mornings (5:30 to 9 a.m.) |
| Website | News/Talk 760 WJR - On Air - Paul W. Smith |
Paul William Smith (born 1953)[1][2] is an American talk radio host and columnist. He currently hosts the morning show on WJR radio in Detroit, Michigan and co-hosts the weekly show Destination 313. Smith's shows typically feature in-depth interviews with a number of notable people, including politicians, authors and business leaders within the automotive industry.
Early life
Smith's maternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, and Smith's father William D. Smith is of Dutch, English, and Irish descent. While on a boat ride to the U.S. from Lebanon, Smith's grandmother was pregnant with Smith's mother, Marie Boutros.[3] William D. Smith, who died in 2007 at age 80, worked as an insurance agent and community theatre director.[4] Paul W. Smith was "born and raised" (quote from Paul himself) in Monroe, Michigan as one of three children and graduated from St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe and the University of Michigan.[5] He writes a column at The Detroit News.[6][7]
Radio career
In Toledo, Ohio, Smith began his career hosting both radio and TV shows, and he has hosted programs on the New York City stations WABC and WMCA. In 1990, Smith became the morning show host at WWDB in Philadelphia. Smith has hosted the current program on WJR since 1996, taking over following the death of the legendary J.P. McCarthy.[1] His morning show has been consistently rated as the number-one radio program in metro Detroit.
Smith is an occasional guest host for The Rush Limbaugh Show, a nationally syndicated show carried by WJR. On WJR, Smith also co-hosts the weekly program Destination 313, which explores landmarks and profiles community affairs in the city of Detroit.[8]
In addition to hosting, Smith is the Detroit area chair of the Police Athletic League and is a member of its national board. His annual "Pals for PAL" golf fundraiser finances the bulk for the local PAL programs. Beginning March 13, 2006, Smith began authoring a Monday column for the Detroit News which borrows heavily from former Detroit Free Press columnist Bob Talbert.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ankeny, Robert. "WJR trying to stay atop with Smith". Crain's Detroit Business: March 4, 1996, p. 3. " Smith, 42, a Monroe native, grew up listening to McCarthy."
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.wjr.com/sectional.asp?id=41174
- ↑ http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION0313
- ↑ Paul W. Smith biography by WJR
- ↑ http://www.destination313.com/about
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1953 births
- Living people
- American columnists
- American people of Dutch descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Lebanese descent
- National Radio Hall of Fame inductees
- People from Monroe, Michigan
- Radio personalities from Detroit, Michigan
- The Detroit News people
- University of Michigan alumni
