WDET Detroit Public Radio

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* WDET 101.9 FM began broadcasting to the metropolitan Detroit community in 1949 as a station owned by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The UAW (UAW-CIO as it was then known) operated the radio station for four years, airing public service programming to its union membership and to the general public. The UAW was not an educational institution and was therefore ineligible for an "educational reserved" radio frequency. * WDET was given to Wayne State University in 1952 by the UAW to continue the station's tradition of public service programming. Over the decades, WDET has been recognized with countless awards for its music programming and news reporting. * WDET's highly desirable dial position (101.9) is the legacy of its union beginnings and makes for the unusual situation of a commercial radio frequency being used for a public station. * WDET-FM is licensed to Wayne State University by the Federal Communications Commission. Application renewal is made every eight years. The station is subject to the rules and regulations set forth by the FCC but is wholly owned by Wayne State. WDET's offices are located at 4600 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

Series

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2 Pieces

The global economic crisis and the U.S.-based credit collapse have pushed a challenged U.S. auto industry into uncertain territory. With approximately one in ten American jobs touched by the auto industry, how are communities feeling the affect of this transition? Learn more about the programs.


Latest Pieces

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In this first part of Shifting Gears, host Craig Fehle examines the challenge of retraining a work force that built the US car industry. Could the ...

Bought by Georgia Public Broadcasting, WNYC, The Neighborhood, KXOT Public Radio, WAMU and more


  • Added: Apr 05, 2010
  • Length: 53:01
  • Purchases: 13
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In this second part of Shifting Gears, host Craig Fahle talks with The Story's Dick Gordon about the South as the new home of the US auto industry,...

Bought by Georgia Public Broadcasting, WNYC, The Neighborhood, KXOT Public Radio, EconomyBeat Podcast and more


  • Added: Apr 05, 2010
  • Length: 53:01
  • Purchases: 14
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Celeste Headlee interviews Sphinx founder

  • Added: Feb 08, 2007
  • Length: 19:15
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funeral director and writer waxes poetic

  • Added: Feb 07, 2007
  • Length: 03:45