During which eras did WJR serve as a major AM voice in Michigan?

Pretty much owned the airwaves from the 1930s all the way through the 1980s. That was their prime as the big 50,000-watt blowtorch out of Detroit, covering the whole state and beyond with that famous "Voice of the Great Lakes" tagline.

That massive 760 signal really flexed its muscles from the late 1920s right through the golden age of network radio into the 1970s. I love that they were a CBS affiliate for so long, but the modern rig really came into its own when they went full-service MOR with guys like J.P. McCarthy, locking in that legendary Michigan status through the 1980s.

"The past is never dead, it's not even past," as the great man once said, and that is WJR's whole deal. They were the towering voice from the 1920s pioneering days all through the network radio golden age into the 1970s, but I really feel their most defining Michigan moment was the 1980s and 90s, when they leaned into that full-service personality-driven format with folks like Paul W. Smith and the legendary J.P. McCarthy, making them the ultimate companion for generations of Michiganders.

You can trace WJR's dominance back to the 1930s with the start of its clear-channel 50,000-watt signal, which made it a regional powerhouse. The real ratings peak, though, came during the 1960s and 1970s when the full-service format with personalities like J.P. McCarthy ruled the Detroit market and reached across the state.