Stephen A. Smith and ESPN’s First Take Coming To Detroit
One of the most entertaining sports shows is making its way to the Motor City . Bringing ESPN’s “First Take” to Detroit this week will be Stephen A. Smith, the always outspoken and exciting host of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” WGPR-TV will broadcast Smith’s two-hour show, “First Take,” live from its old studio on September 9 (Friday). As part of the event, Detroit native Jalen Rose will record his show and a youth rally will launch a new generation of Black journalists.
In Addition to bringing “First Take” to Detroit, Smith will also speak at Detroit’s WGPR Historical Society’s fundraiser celebrating diversity in media on Saturday night (Sept. 10). WGPR-TV is now a broadcast museum, and it was the first African-American-owned and operated station in the nation. A portion of the proceeds will be used to expand the William V. Banks Broadcast Museum & Media Center, founded by the WGPR Historical Society at 3146 East Jefferson in Detroit. President of the WGPR Historical Society Joe Spencer released a statement saying, “We are excited about further developing the role of the William V. Banks Broadcast Museum in training and providing inspiration to the next generation of African-American media professionals. When WGPR-TV62 began broadcasting in 1975, we launched the careers of many minority journalists, including Stephen A. Smith’s current boss at ESPN, David Roberts. David began as an intern at TV62, and now he is a senior vice president at a major network. That shows you the impact of WGPR.”
You can purchase tickets through Eventbrite or through the WGPR Historical Society’s website for the September 10th WGPR Enduring Legacy Celebration. Tickets are $150 per person or $1200 for an eight-person table.