you're watching wgpr, channel 62 detroit
Launched in 1975, WGPR-TV was the first black-owned television station in the US. It operated as a sister station to WGPR-FM , whose playlist over the years has varied from gospel to urban hits and was graced for several stints by The Electrifyin' Mojo . It was the second television station to occupy channel 62 on the Detroit dial - the first, WXON , had moved to channel 20 three years earlier. WGPR was fascinating to watch, as it was the closest thing we had to local access cable stations...except this wasn't on cable. Even as a kid I could sense that its production values were low. Shows shot in health food stores? Check. Budweiser commercials dubbed into Arabic? Check. Low-tier college basketball packages? Check. Ads touting nightclub dancers who are barely conscious? Check. Movies? Any low-priced package they could get. Lots of old British movies, especially the early Carry On flicks (usually Carry On Spying or Carry On Screaming ). The piece-de-resistance was th...