WDET-FM

Last updated

WDET-FM
Wdet logo.png
Broadcast area Metro Detroit
Frequency 101.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding101.9 WDET
Programming
Format Public radio News and Talk
Affiliations National Public Radio
Public Radio Exchange
American Public Media
Ownership
Owner Wayne State University
History
First air date
December 18, 1948;75 years ago (1948-12-18)
Call sign meaning
Detroit
Technical information
Facility ID 71189
Class B
ERP 48,000 watts
HAAT 169 meters (554 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 42°21′6″N83°03′48″W / 42.35167°N 83.06333°W / 42.35167; -83.06333
Links
Webcast Listen live player
Website wdet.org

WDET-FM (101.9 MHz) is a public radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned by Wayne State University with its studios and transmitter in the Cass Corridor neighborhood. [1] WDET broadcasts shows from National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. The station is the primary provider of news involving the American automotive industry. [2] and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) named WDET the 2021 and 2022 Public Radio Station of the Year.

Contents

WDET-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 48,000 watts. It is licensed to broadcast using HD Radio technology. [3] WDET-FM's signal covers much of Southeast Michigan and part of Southwestern Ontario.

Programming

On weekdays, WDET-FM airs news and talk programming, mostly national shows with local news cut-ins: Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, On Point and Marketplace . It also produces two weekday one-hour talk programs, Created Equal with Stephen Henderson and The Metro with Nick Austin and Tia Graham. There are five hours of local music programming each day.

On weekends, a mix of talk shows and music programs are heard. Talk shows include Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Radio Lab, On The Media, and Latino USA . 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.)

The Detroit Radio Information Service (DRIS) broadcasts on a subcarrier of WDET. DRIS serves the visually impaired community with live and pre-recorded readings of daily and weekly print publications via special radio receiver or streaming. There are plans to launch an HD-2 subchannel which would play eclectic music and some news programs.

History

United Auto Workers

WDET-FM was dedicated on December 18, 1948;75 years ago. [4] The first air date was Feb. 13, 1949. It was originally owned by the United Auto Workers Union. It mostly broadcast public service programs under station manager Ben Hoberman. The studios were on Capital Street near Rouge Park. The station was not financially viable and the UAW-CIO sought to sell it. [5]

Detroit Public Radio

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. In May 1960, WDET began broadcasting from the 15th floor of the Maccabees Building near the Wayne State University campus. [6] Their new studio had previously been used by WXYZ radio. The cramped space, named Back Alley Studios, [7] was too small to house the management staff. They worked from an old house on campus. 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. [8] 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. [9] Judy Adams, who would be a music host and program director until 2005, was hired in 1974.

The conflict of programming time for niche audiences or a wider audience would be a theme for many years. [10] Station management and volunteer producers often clashed, and the station struggled financially. [11] Buckstaff said that the station's strength was its variety, and that "you're bound to run into something you don't like." [12] 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. [13] As of 1975, however, it was the seventh most-listened to public radio station in the country and had a record-setting pledge drive. [14]

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. [15] Granger resigned in December 1983 and news director Caryn Mathes became general manager. She would lead the station until February 2005.

The listening audience greatly expanded in the 1980s, along with revenue. In 1983, Ed Love, Ann Delisi, Martin Bandyke and Ralph Valdez were hired as music hosts. Jazz programs were aired during the week, with folk, blues and classical on the weekends. There were several other music shows in a variety of genres. Other music hosts from the 1980s included Nkenge Zola, Famous Coachman, and Dave Dixon.

The broadcast facilities in the Maccabees Building were considered "unhealthy and dangerous" [16] 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. [17] A new studio was custom-built on the first floor of 6001 Cass Ave and it became WDET's home in September 1987. [18]

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. [19] 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, as well as studios in the new University Towers building.

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, [20] 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.

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. [21]

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. [22]

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. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYC</span> AM and FM radio stations in New York City

WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that did business as "WNYC RADIO" until March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEZ</span> Public radio station in Chicago

WBEZ – branded WBEZ 91.5 – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Chicago Public Media and is financed by listener contributions, corporate underwriting and some government funding. WBEZ is affiliated with both National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). It also broadcasts content from American Public Media and the BBC World Service. It produces several nationally syndicated shows for public radio stations, including This American Life and has a co-production credit for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, which is produced by NPR.

WAMU is a public news–talk station that services the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary National Public Radio member station for Washington since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIDR-FM</span> Radio station in Windsor, Ontario

CIDR-FM is a commercial radio station in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, targeting the Detroit–Windsor metropolitan area, with fringe reception into Toledo and Cedar Point/Sandusky in Ohio. It is owned and operated by Bell Media and airs a Top 40/CHR format. The studios and offices are located on Ouellette Avenue in Windsor.

WCBN-FM is the student-run radio station of the University of Michigan. Its format is primarily freeform. It broadcasts at 88.3 MHz FM in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

WMUA is a student-run college radio station. Licensed to serve Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, the station is based on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The station's broadcast license is held by the University of Massachusetts. WMUA celebrated its 70th anniversary of continuous on-air broadcasting during the 2017-2018 school year. The station debuted a second, online-only stream called WMUAx in September 2017.

Michigan Public is a network of five FM public radio stations operated by the University of Michigan through its broadcasting arm, Michigan Public Media. The network is a founding member of National Public Radio and an affiliate of Public Radio International, American Public Media, and BBC World Service. Its main studio is located in Ann Arbor, with satellite studios in Flint and offices in Grand Rapids. It currently airs news and talk, which it has since July 1, 1996. The combined footprint of the five stations covers most of the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, from Muskegon to Detroit.

WUWM is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee with the license held by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. A unit of the UW-Milwaukee College of Letters and Science, the station's studios and offices are on the seventh floor of Chase Tower in Downtown Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXYT (AM)</span> Radio station in Detroit, Michigan

WXYT is a commercial radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan. It airs a betting-oriented sports radio format known as "The Bet Detroit". Most programming comes from the BetQL and Infinity Sports Radio networks. During College football season, WXYT airs live play-by-play from the Central Michigan University Chippewas football team. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. The studios and offices are on American Drive off 11 Mile Road in Southfield.

KFEQ is a commercial AM radio station in St. Joseph, Missouri. It is owned by Eagle Communications and airs a news-talk-sports-farm reports radio format. The studios and offices are on Country Lane in St. Joseph along with sister stations KKJO, KSJQ, KESJ, and KYSJ.

WRDT is a commercial radio station licensed to Monroe, Michigan, and serving Metro Detroit. It is owned by Crawford Broadcasting and it broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The studios and offices are on Capitol Avenue near Burt Road in the Weatherby section of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMGC-FM</span> Classic hip hop radio station in Detroit

WMGC-FM is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned and operated by the Beasley Broadcast Group and airs a classic hip hop radio format. WMGC-FM broadcasts with 50,000 watts of effective radiated power (ERP) from a transmitter tower co-located with its studios and offices off Radio Plaza in the Ferndale section of Royal Oak Charter Township in Oakland County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMXD</span> Radio station in Detroit

WMXD is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station operates with 45,000 watts of power from an antenna located on the Cadillac Tower building in downtown Detroit. The studios and offices were housed for years at Detroit's Penobscot Building until November 2009, when they were moved to the Clear Channel Communications, studios in Farmington Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WQKL</span> Radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan

WQKL, known on the air as ann arbor's 107one, is a commercial radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan. WQKL is owned by Cumulus Media, airing an adult album alternative/alternative rock radio format. WQKL has its studios at the south area of Ann Arbor near Briarwood Mall, and broadcasts its signal from a 3,000 watt transmitter atop Tower Plaza in the city's downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maccabees Building</span> Historic building in Detroit

The Maccabees Building is a historic building located at 5057 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and is currently owned by Wayne State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEOS</span> Radio station in Geneva, New York

WEOS is a college radio station licensed to Geneva, New York, broadcasting primarily on 89.5 FM across the Finger Lakes region of New York. It also broadcasts on a smaller relay transmitter on 90.3FM in Geneva. The station is owned by The Colleges of the Seneca, Inc., the legal name of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. The board of trustees of the colleges are the owners, with the current President Mark Gearan as its chair.

WLCM is a commercial radio station licensed to Holt, Michigan and serving the Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area. It airs a Christian talk and teaching format and is owned by the Christian Broadcasting System headed by Jon Yinger. The studios are on Lawrence Highway in Charlotte, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHQR</span> Radio station

WHQR is the National Public Radio (NPR) member station for Southeastern North Carolina, broadcasting on the FM band 91.3 MHz. Based in Wilmington and operated by Friends of Public Radio, Inc.. It airs NPR, American Public Media, PRX, and BBC programming as well as classical, jazz and adult album alternative music. WHQR hosts concerts, art receptions and events in their gallery space as well as live concerts from the Soup to Nuts Live program and monthly Classical concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVSS</span> Radio station in Menomonie, Wisconsin

WVSS is a radio station licensed to Menomonie, Wisconsin. The station is part of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) and airs WPR's "NPR News & Music Network", consisting of classical music and news and talk programming, as well as local news from WPR's regional studio in Eau Claire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKMS-FM</span> Public radio station at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky

WKMS-FM, is a non-commercial National Public Radio-affiliated station operated by Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. WKMS features a variety of NPR programming and local music shows including classical music, bluegrass, alternative rock, jazz, electronica and world music. WKMS signed on for the first time on May 11, 1970, as a non-commercial, educational FM station licensed to MSU.

References

  1. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WDET
  2. ↑ "WDET-FM 101.9, Detroit". www.michiguide.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2000.
  3. ↑ "Station Search Details".
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 172, Broadcasting & Cable
  5. ↑ "WDET-FM to suspend operations". The Detroit Free Press. March 27, 1952. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "FM Highlights". Detroit Free Press. May 16, 1960. p. 8TV.
  7. ↑ Gonzalez, John D. (September 19, 1987). "Voice from past helps to revive radio drama". Detroit Free Press. p. 15A.
  8. ↑ Angelo, Frank (May 23, 1973). "Here's how you can help yourself". Detroit Free Press. p. 7A.
  9. ↑ "WDET-FM Oct 1976 Program Guide".
  10. ↑ Zurawik, Dave (October 21, 1979). "Private groups vs. WDET: Who's serving who what?". Detroit Free Press. p. A3.
  11. ↑ Heron, W. Kim (October 4, 1980). "Radio host protests show cancellation". Detroit Free Press. p. 7D.
  12. ↑ Angelo, Frank (May 23, 1973). "Here's how you can help yourself". Detroit Free Press. p. 7A.
  13. ↑ Mackay, Roberta (March 21, 1972). "WDET faces money crisis". Detroit Free Press. p. 8c.
  14. ↑ "WDET Campaign raises $36,000". Detroit Free Press. November 15, 1975. p. 11A.
  15. ↑ Heron, W. Kim (December 26, 1983). "New WDET pilots to keep same course". The Detroit Free Press. p. 6D.
  16. ↑ "WDET-FM: A Status Report: Fiscal 1983-84" (PDF).
  17. ↑ McGraw, Bill (December 2, 1985). "WDET counts losses after fire hits station". The Detroit Free Press. p. A3.
  18. ↑ "WDET-FM: Annual Report October 1 1986-September 30 1987" (PDF).
  19. ↑ Betzold, Michael (March 15, 1990). "Dispute jams chance to boost public FM". Detroit Free Press. p. B1.
  20. ↑ Johnson, L.A. (March 29, 1995). "Radio Delisi". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F.
  21. ↑ Hinds, Julie (January 23, 2004). "Detroit public radio station WDET-FM marks 75th anniversary with major local programming news". Detroit Free Press.
  22. ↑ "FMpower - Find ERP for an FM Station Class | Federal Communications Commission". www.fcc.gov. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  23. ↑ Rubin, Neal (October 19, 2021). "WDET's new transmitter goes live. So long, static on Detroit public radio". The Detroit Free Press.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.