WDET-FM
Public radio station in Detroit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WDET-FM (101.9 FM) is a noncommercial radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by Wayne State University with its studios on the first floor of the University Towers on the WSU campus on Cass Avenue and a transmitter near the campus and the intersection of Cass Avenue and Canfield Street, both in the Cass Corridor neighborhood. WDET broadcasts shows from NPR, PRX and APM. The Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) named WDET the 2021 and 2022 Public Radio Station of the Year.
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| Broadcast area | Metro Detroit |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.9 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 101.9 WDET |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio and talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Wayne State University |
| History | |
First air date | December 18, 1948 |
Call sign meaning | Detroit |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71189 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 48,000 watts |
| HAAT | 169 meters (554 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°21′6″N 83°03′48″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wdet.org |
It is licensed to broadcast using HD Radio technology.[2] WDET-FM's signal covers much of Southeast Michigan and part of Southwestern Ontario.
History
United Auto Workers
WDET-FM was dedicated on December 18, 1948 by Governor of Michigan G. Mennen Williams and UAW president Walter Reuther, who declared that it would not be just the United Auto Worker's station but the "station of the people of Detroit."[3] The first air date was Feb. 13, 1949. It mostly broadcast public service programs under station manager Ben Hoberman from the studios on Capital Street near Rouge Park. The station was not financially viable and the UAW-CIO sought to sell it.[4]
Detroit Public Radio
Programming
What was then Wayne University (it joined the state university system in 1956) bought the station for one dollar in 1952 and converted it to non-commercial status. The irregular programming schedule included mainly classical music and faculty lectures.
John Buckstaff, who became general manager in 1968, developed the station's format until he resigned in 1981. Jazz, modern music, and volunteer-produced programming were added.[5] In the early 1970s, WDET-FM began adding shows from the new public radio network, NPR, including All Things Considered and Morning Edition. There were volunteer-produced talk programs geared to a specific audience, such as Gayly Speaking and Indian to Indian.[6] Judy Adams, who would be a music host and program director until 2005, was hired in 1974.[7]
The conflict of programming time for niche audiences or a wider audience would be a theme for many years.[8] Station management and volunteer producers often clashed, and the station struggled financially.[9] Buckstaff said that the station's strength was its variety, and that "you're bound to run into something you don't like."[10] In 1972, the station held a press conference to announce that they needed $65,000 (about $490,000 in 2024 dollars) to avoid going off the air.[11] As of 1975, however, it was the seventh most-listened to public radio station in the country and had a record-setting pledge drive.[12]
In May 1982, Marvin Granger became general manager. Much of the volunteer-made programming did not have a professional sound, he felt, and he cancelled many of these programs and oriented the station to a general audience. Many felt that this changing of the station's identity left some groups without a voice, but Granger stated that programs with small audiences were not financially viable.[13] Granger and program director Judy Adams also changed the music programming focus from classical to jazz music.[14] Granger resigned in December 1983 and news director Caryn Mathes became general manager.[15] She would lead the station until February 2005.[16]
The listening audience greatly expanded in the 1980s, along with revenue. In 1983, Ed Love,[17] Ann Delisi, Martin Bandyke and Ralph Valdez were hired as music hosts. In 1984, Adams continued jazz programming during the weekday while adding blues/folk shows on Saturdays and classical shows on Sundays.[14] By 1986, the station had expanded its musical programming to include Dave Dixon's daily weekday program of rock and eclectic music.[18]
Weekday music variety programs became a driver of listenership during the 1990s. Martin Bandyke began a daily show in September 1991.[19] Dave Dixon's show ended in February 1992 and Ann Delisi took over his time slot.[20] Besides bluegrass, folk, blues and classical programs on the weekends, Ismael Ahmed's world music show was on by 1991.[21] By 1993, 150,000 listeners per week were listening, considered healthy for a public radio station.[22]
The departure of music director Ann Delisi in 1995 prompted further changes to the weekday lineup. Judy Adams's program began to air between 9 AM and noon, then Martin Bandyke's program aired until the afternoon NPR programs.[23] Ed Love's program aired between 7 PM and 10 PM.[24] By 1996, Ralph Valdez at 10 PM and Liz Warner (née Copeland) at midnight both hosted eclectic music programs.[25][26]
Increasing local content
In 2004, WDET-FM implemented extensive programming changes. The station dropped many NPR programs such as Fresh Air and Car Talk, as well as some popular local music shows such as Folks Like Us and Arkansas Traveler. This was done to promote more locally produced music programming. However, it was followed by a decline in listener pledges.
In the fall of 2005, new general manager Michael Coleman (replacing Caryn Mathes, who departed for WAMU in Washington, D.C.) made changes to WDET's schedule again, dropping many of the weekday music programs in favor of a more news-oriented format. He brought back all of the previously dropped programming and added new NPR-produced programs. Particularly controversial was the dismissal of long-time midday host Martin Bandyke. Local media outlets reported he may have violated conflict of interest rules by accepting gifts from record companies. Bandyke later hosted morning drive time at Adult Alternative-formatted WQKL 107.1 FM in Ann Arbor.
Controversy over changes
As a result of the 2005 format change, some listeners filed a class action lawsuit against the station for fraudulently taking donations for programming that was planned on being discontinued. Disgruntled former listeners also held two protests. The first occurred in front of WDET's offices a few days after Christmas. The second occurred near Cobo Hall during the North American International Auto Show.
Organizers promised that the rally would draw 5,000 people, though less than one hundred showed up, and a plan to protest WDET's changes during the Super Bowl XL festivities also failed to occur.
On Thursday May 11, 2006, Michael Coleman announced another major shake-up at WDET. Six employees were laid off including long-time music host Jon Moshier. Several others were forced to accept pay cuts, demotions, or reductions in hours.
2007 Programming changes
On Monday April 2, 2007, WDET implemented several programming changes. The following programs were removed from the schedule: "Day to Day" (which was terminated by NPR, not WDET), "Front Row Center", "Live From Studio A", "The Best of the DSO", Liz Copeland's "Alternate Take", Chuck Horn's "Seventh Journey", "The Ralph Valdez program", Mick Collin's "Night Train", and "The W. Kim Heron Program". New additions included the locally produced "Detroit Today" as well as NPR programs "Talk of the Nation", "Marketplace", "Marketplace Money", "BBC World Service", "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!", and "The Changing World". "Destination Jazz: The Ed Love Program" was reduced from five to three hours, and Michael Julien's "Global Mix" was reduced from five to two hours. Combined with previous changes, the station moved to a more news oriented format. WDET now has less local and indie music coverage, although the station continues to offer several musical genres on weekends.
On September 15, 2007, WDET added the show "Tell Me More" with Michel Martin from NPR News on weekdays at 1 pm, which replaced "World Have Your Say" from the BBC. "Deep River" with Robert Jones moved to Sunday afternoons, and "The Tavis Smiley Show" was added to the weekend line up, on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings.
2007 to present
Ann Delisi, who had resigned in March 1995,[27] returned to WDET as a music host in February 2009. J Mikel Ellcessor, general manager for four years, resigned in 2013. Craig Fahle and Michelle Sbinovich shared the general manager duties, with Sbinovich assuming sole leadership in 2014. Detroit Free Press editorialist Stephen Henderson began hosting the station's daily talk show in March 2015. Culture Shift, an afternoon music variety program, began in July 2016.[28]
Present general manager Mary Zatina assumed leadership on January 2 2020. She, with program director Adam Fox, added several hours of local music and talk to the schedule as of February 5 2024.[29] Zatina stated that as of 2025, the audience has increased by 21 percent since the changes.[30]
Current programming
On weekdays, WDET-FM produces a two-hour talk program, The Metro with Tia Graham and Robyn Vincent. There are five hours of local music programming each day. Ryan Patrick Hooper has hosted an afternoon music variety program since joining Culture Shift. It was renamed In the Groove when Hooper took over as the only host in 2024.[29] Evening programs rotate weekly, with Don Was notably hosting a show with Ann Delisi on Friday nights.[31]
On weekends, a mix of talk shows and music programs are heard. Music programs include Acoustic Café, Ann Delisi's Essential Music, Rob Reinhart's Essential Music, Soul Saturday, This Island Earth with Ismael Ahmed, The Progressive Underground with Chris Campbell, Destination Jazz with Ed Love and Jay's Place with Jay Butler. (Butler was a longtime air personality on WQBH and WJLB.)
Detroit Radio Information Service
The Detroit Radio Information Service (DRIS) broadcasts on a subcarrier of WDET. People with visual impairments use a special receiver loaned to them by the station to hear local news read by volunteers. The frequency also carries a national program of readings from newspapers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.[32][33]
Studios
In May 1960, WDET began broadcasting from the 15th floor of the Maccabees Building near the Wayne State University campus.[34] Their new studio had previously been used by WXYZ radio. The cramped space, named Back Alley Studios,[35] was too small to house the management staff. They worked from an old house on campus.
The broadcast facilities in the Maccabees Building were considered "unhealthy and dangerous"[36] and the station began planning improvements. On November 29 1985, the studio was damaged by an electrical fire and thousands of records were destroyed. The studio was cleaned and repaired, and the station was off the air for less than a day.[37] A new studio was custom-built on the first floor of 6001 Cass Ave and it became WDET's home in September 1987.[38]
WDET's antenna remained attached to the tower atop the Maccabees Building, which was then owned by Detroit Public Schools Community District. When the antenna began to fail, the university claimed that the tower's condition was too poor to hang a new antenna on.[39] The dispute over who would pay to repair the tower was ultimately resolved when WDET chose to build its own tower. In 1995, WDET began using its new tower on Canfield Street. Nearby, the new University Towers residence hall would house the station's new studios, opening around summer 1996.[40]
Broadcast transmitter
WDET transmits from a tower at 554 feet (169 meters) in height above average terrain (HAAT) near the intersection of Cass Avenue and Canfield Street near the Wayne State University campus. WDET broadcasts with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 48,000 watts, so it is grandfathered at slightly more power than would be permitted today in the Detroit area, for its HAAT. According to the FCC, the same antenna height setup if being newly licensed today would only be allotted 39,000 watts.[41]
A failed air conditioner damaged the transmitter during the summer of 2020. The backup transmitter had poor sound quality and a fundraising campaign was begun to replace the equipment. The Kresge Foundation helped fund the new transmitter (a Nautel GV30N) which went on the air in October 2021.[42]