Put WDET 101.9 radio back together again

**Thruster315** · March-03-15, 10:53 PM

i realize we all have our own unique takes on WDET. We like this program, we like that program, we like this on-air personality, we hate that on-air dope, they play too much music, they don't play enough...

But seriously we can at least talk about it with this station. I'd much rather listen to WDET more so than those other pre-programmed shows where it's just some guy who loads up the music that they've been told to play. It seems as though every one of these WDET personalities at least has a personality. They have preferences and it's apparent if you listen to them long enough [[I used to bitch about Judy Adams playing far too much Hendrix)- but at least they stand out. I also think that a lot of these folks also do the research on what it is they play or talk about. They're not just spouting some corporate line or told what to play or say which I think is refreshing.

Like 'em or not but I think WDET for all the good and faults that they have still beats the hell out of homogenized radio. They're not the perfect radio station- but I get to hear some variety there. If I want something completely crafted for me, I'll bust out my own playlists on my iTunes library or scout out an hour or two of Pandora.

The folks at WDET have introduced me to a lot of great music that I would've never heard on commercial airwaves. Conversely they've also played some dreck but at least I was given an opportunity to hear it and make up my own mind. WDET is probably responsible for at least 70% of my own personal music purchases.

**DetroitRocks** · March-04-15, 10:23 AM

WDET hires Freep's Henderson to take over for Craig Fahle…...

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...son-as-detroit

**G-DDT** · March-17-15, 11:23 AM

Didn't know a better place to start this, but I'm sure a thread will open soon. I just found out Bob Parlocha of RCJ died recently.

**ddavis1776** · April-13-15, 01:36 PM

The new morning show with Stephen Henderson is painfully boring in my opinion. Not Amy-Miller-gratingly-bad, but not an improvement. I'm stuck listening to BBC on WUOM on my way in now.
Anyone else been listening to the new morning show?

**noise** · April-14-15, 09:47 AM

It's on too late for me to listen in depth, but he's certainly not yet as dynamic as Craig Fahle. The advertising hypes him up and then he comes across as monotone and boring as possible.

**DetroitRocks** · September-12-15, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by noise

It's on too late for me to listen in depth, but he's certainly not yet as dynamic as Craig Fahle. The advertising hypes him up and then he comes across as monotone and boring as possible.

I agree. Henderson is a snoozer. And can he quit interrupting his interview subjects with his own thoughts? Great writer, boring radio host. Definitely not in Craig Fahle's league. I'd rather hear some of the other WDET staffers instead of him.

Still love the music on the weekends. That keeps me coming back to the station.

**Honky Tonk** · September-12-15, 06:07 AM

Originally Posted by G-DDT

Didn't know a better place to start this, but I'm sure a thread will open soon. I just found out Bob Parlocha of RCJ died recently.

I'm very sorry to hear that, I really liked his style of Jazz. I always wished RCJ ran his show earlier. Some of the early Jazz hosts get a bit too smooth for my taste.

**Lowell** · September-12-15, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitRocks

I agree. Henderson is a snoozer. And can he quit interrupting his interview subjects with his own thoughts? Great writer, boring radio host. Definitely not in Craig Fahle's league. I'd rather hear some of the other WDET staffers instead of him.

Still love the music on the weekends. That keeps me coming back to the station.

I think he does a good job. It takes time to grow into a job. It's a new profession for him. Craig was a little rough around the edges when he first began. Stephen has a pleasant cheerfulness about him and he knows Detroit inside and out. I only expect him to get better.

**stromberg2** · September-12-15, 06:01 PM

What ever happened to Quinn Kleinfelter?

Stromberg2

**Gannon** · September-13-15, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by stromberg2

What ever happened to Quinn Kleinfelter?

Stromberg2

He's still listed on the website...

**Honky Tonk** · September-13-15, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by stromberg2

What ever happened to Quinn Kleinfelter?

Stromberg2

He's some kind of special correspondent, Lansing and State stories, I think.

**gazhekwe** · September-13-15, 08:01 AM

I am rooting for Stephen Henderson to improve as he goes. He still talks over people and self answers his questions to them. As Lowell pointed out, it took Craig a couple of years to work out all the wrinkles and hone his skills, but he ended up at the very top of the game in my opinion. I couldn't figure out what he would be doing that would be comparable at his new digs. Maybe he was just ready for a change.

I really really miss the music programming. While I also like some of the talk shows, there needs to be more balance. Talk all day is just not good. My Saturdays are just not the same without Matt Watroba and Larry McDaniel in the mix. WDET had folk programming right from the beginning, with Buck Dancer's choice. That was a hard loss. I can spin the records myself, but I miss the commentary and the introduction of new artists, and the freshness of the choices. Ann Delici is good, but I miss the breadth of the programming that used to be there.

In our house we have a divide. We both miss the music, just different aspects of it. One of us loves the Moth and This American Life. One of us wants Diane Rhem, who is on WUOM. One of us is OK with Terry Gross, we both are irritated with On Being. I guess you can't please everyone, so it's good we have choices of stations.

**DetroitRocks** · September-14-15, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

I am rooting for Stephen Henderson to improve as he goes. He still talks over people and self answers his questions to them.

I am rooting for Henderson too. He seems likable. His interview style needs work. Like you said, he has a tendency to talk over people and answer the questions he asks, which is very annoying. I was listening to his show last week and found myself shouting at the radio for him to "shut up" and let the group he was interviewing answer the questions he had posed.

**DetroitRocks** · September-14-15, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

I really really miss the music programming. While I also like some of the talk shows, there needs to be more balance. Talk all day is just not good. My Saturdays are just not the same without Matt Watroba and Larry McDaniel in the mix. WDET had folk programming right from the beginning, with Buck Dancer's choice. That was a hard loss. I can spin the records myself, but I miss the commentary and the introduction of new artists, and the freshness of the choices. Ann Delici is good, but I miss the breadth of the programming that used to be there.

Like you, I miss the music programming and question WDET management with their continuing to focus on news and talk. Why don't they understand that listeners want to hear the music? Yes, news is fine, but only to a certain point. Its the eclectic music that people tuned into WDET for in the past and continue to clamor for in the present.

They need to broadcast news and talk from 9 am - 5 pm, then it should be music the rest of the time. How can you be a public radio station and not have a folk, classical, reggae or blues show? How can you continue to ask for more money and not give listeners what they really want, which is the MUSIC?

They need to build around Delisi and Campbell who consistently introduce fresh new music choices and beef up their music roster. I listen to them on the weekends because of the music. I am questioning whether I should continue to donate especially if they keep the station in a news/talk format.

**noise** · September-15-15, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitRocks

Like you, I miss the music programming and question WDET management with their continuing to focus on news and talk. Why don't they understand that listeners want to hear the music? Yes, news is fine, but only to a certain point. Its the eclectic music that people tuned into WDET for in the past and continue to clamor for in the present.

They need to broadcast news and talk from 9 am - 5 pm, then it should be music the rest of the time. How can you be a public radio station and not have a folk, classical, reggae or blues show? How can you continue to ask for more money and not give listeners what they really want, which is the MUSIC?

They need to build around Delisi and Campbell who consistently introduce fresh new music choices and beef up their music roster. I listen to them on the weekends because of the music. I am questioning whether I should continue to donate especially if they keep the station in a news/talk format.

I'm not sure why you think your anecdotal defense of music programming should be any more valuable than their programming research.

Again anecdotal, but nobody I know who listens to the station is interested in music programming. If they're playing music, I turn it off. It's always bad, in my opinion.

**DetroitRocks** · September-15-15, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by noise

Again anecdotal, but nobody I know who listens to the station is interested in music programming. If they're playing music, I turn it off. It's always bad, in my opinion.

They cover a lot of ground musically despite the emphasis on news and talk. Which begs the question, what type of music do you listen to? What makes their music so "bad?"

Have to disagree with you on this. Even 'DET staffers and WSU personnel will tell you that the public wants more music programming and less news.

**noise** · September-15-15, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitRocks

They cover a lot of ground musically despite the emphasis on news and talk. Which begs the question, what type of music do you listen to? What makes their music so "bad?"

Have to disagree with you on this. Even 'DET staffers and WSU personnel will tell you that the public wants more music programming and less news.

Oh, all kinds, but I'm stubborn.

If they'll tell you that, why aren't they acting on it? That's rather curious.

**Hypestyles** · September-15-15, 10:18 AM

do any shows regularly spotlight metro Detroit's ethnic groups? on a side note, what, if any, is the Spanish-language radio station in Detroit? Or the Arabic-language? South Asian, etc.?

**DetroitRocks** · September-16-15, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

do any shows regularly spotlight metro Detroit's ethnic groups? on a side note, what, if any, is the Spanish-language radio station in Detroit? Or the Arabic-language? South Asian, etc.?

No. They have no shows that profile ethnic groups, which is also shocking. They did have a Latino reporter Martina Guzman who crafted very solid stories around some of the other ethnic goings-on [[Spanish, and others) in the city. She was a great correspondent with a very warm interview style. Word on the street is that she left the station because of its limited scope and lack of inclusion.

**G-DDT** · September-24-15, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I'm very sorry to hear that, I really liked his style of Jazz. I always wished RCJ ran his show earlier. Some of the early Jazz hosts get a bit too smooth for my taste.

One thing that is pissing me off about RCJ is that if they were once in the habit of playing from records and C.D.s, they need to get back into that again. They are playing a lot of music from computer soundfiles that have some digitized corruption to them, and you can hear [[especially if you have any experience in music or sound mixing) it come out with certain musical instruments and cadences. It sounds like a tin-can filtered crisp, digital hollowness to it [[somehow an episode of X-files called "Ice" has that sound everytime it is aired on T.V.). I try to ignore it, but I just can't anymore, and I don't hear it on any other station. What ever they are doing wrong, WRCJ, needs to stop it, and start playing records and C.D.'s, until they get that problem fixed [[or better still, just stick with the records and C.D.s)!

Maybe this is what others were complaining abouthttp://www.audiokarma.org/forums/arc.../t-482559.html

**G-DDT** · September-24-15, 10:48 PM

Also, back to WDET: As a person who helped out at WDET and had many friends [[Moshier, Sorice, Valdez, Copeland, Willy Wilson) who played music there [[not to mention many D.J.'s from other stations), WDET was once very strong about music. In fact, Detroit had a very strong self-sustaining Indie scene community. We were very much about the music! Anyone who comments to the contrary, really doesn't know what they are talking about here, really has no idea just how it was back in the '90s, or just wants to act like a trollish, inflammatory poophead.

One of the hideous cultural lock-downs to occur in that last horrible decade was how radio stations around Detroit [[especially WDET) went lame. There was no more Brave New Waves on 89.9, and many of my friends lost their jobs at WDET in some sort of purge [[I have some back news articles about it, I need to dig out, as I'm also sure that there are past threads in the AtDetroit aarchives addressing the changes WDET went through.). This was probably because WDET was daring, experimental, and many times it pushed the envelope as far as what was acceptable or "pleasing" to the [[suburban white) status quo. Complaints must have carried on for a long time, before the ugly, standardizing elements came in to bleach it out.

I never cared much for the buzzing doldrums of mid-day NPR. It is news pretending to be liberal [[like Bono or Pitt-Jolie), and it mostly drones on about non-critical issues. It loves to give spotlights to self-indulgent, whiny, unknown Eastcoast writers who want to "share" dramatically from their personal [[and what they assume to be "ironic") memoirs [[I remember wincing back in Christmas of '92 at a NPR broadcast diatribe of a GWM from New York prattling on about his exploits as a Department Store Xmas elf and his unrequited longings for other "suspected" gay elves in the back locker room. How maudlin and subjectively clueless this guy acted......ugh.). I can get irrelevant and off-beat with my subjectivity, but their's is a bar of pretentiousness I couldn't even tap even on a step-ladder.

A good question posted so far, is why those in WDET don't stand up to change it for the better and bring back the music?

**DetroitRocks** · October-13-15, 12:05 PM

Very reluctantly re-upped my membership today.

**Jerry Van** · October-20-15, 03:56 PM

Haven't listened to DET in years. They've taken away all the great diverse music and programming that made it awesome. Prairie Home Companion, Blues From the Lowlands, American Routes, etc. Don't even listen to it anymore for NPR news since the stupid "Take Away" program took away the last thing I liked about DET. I don't give a damn what those chatterboxes think about he news... just tell me the damn news!

**DetroitRocks** · December-09-15, 06:16 PM

Got another email from 'DET begging for more money and you know what? I'm not giving anymore. I've dropped from being a sustaining member. Outside of Ann Delisi, Chris Campbell and maybe one of the other music shows, I can't do WDET any longer. I've been listening to WUOM for my news and talk, WRCJ and WEMU for my music.

I gave 'DET a chance, but I can't stand that morning show. They hype Stephen Henderson, but his energy and style don't translate to radio. The show is flat. He is no Craig Fahle. There are so many 'DET staffers or outsiders who would make better show hosts.

I wonder whether Fahle saw the handwriting on the wall and bailed. There seems to be no direction at 'DET and I wonder about their programming choices. Someone's clearly asleep at the wheel.

I just donated to WUOM and WEMU.