Friday, March 23, 2007

Sad day in Detroit radio

I found out yesterday that on April 2nd, the local NPR outlet here WDET will no longer be carrying any of its eclectic music mix. Gone will be great programs like Chuck Horne's electronic music show as well as Liz Copeland's phenomenal late night musical experience. A few years back, they axed the midday music (to which I often played in my classes because they did play such a diverse variety) and now they've really carved to the bone; they'll still carry Ed Love's jazz- but that's about all the music anyone will hear on what was once a bastion of introducing people to all sorts of new genres of music.

So much of my musical tastes were rooted in what the personalities on WDET played. Did I enjoy all of their selections? No, but I was also introduced to so many other things that I would've never have heard on any commercial station. In years past I even donated money to the station because I believed in the diversity that they brought to the Detroit airwaves. I still have my proud WDET mug.

They've switched to public affairs and informational programming now. All very valid but not for my particular tastes nor for my lifestyle. The Detroit area airwaves will be a little sadder soon.

4 comments:

DMBoyleDesign said...

Sounds like it's time to invest in an .mp3 player and pour some of your music onto there. Or if it were possible, a laptop with a website like Pandora.com playing some tunes. Shame whats been happening to local radio, though.

Glad you're finally on the 'blogosphere'.

Dave Chow Illustrations said...

I know many of the options out there, but there's still something to be said for free radio- something that can be enjoyed in a car, classroom or wherever I go. It's not just a music thing either, it was the WDET personalities and their vast musical knowledge. They did it for a living; we were just the lucky recipients of their knowledge.

imran said...

bummer on the radio station, i always had that to number one on my old tuner. great to see you bloggin dave!

Angie Lai said...

that is sad, especially during these times. i wish the best for detroit..