 
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Friday, August 01, 2008 - 11:27 pm: |    |
Does anyone listen to WDET? What are your opinions of it changing its format to more, much more news and a lot less music? What is your favourite past music show, programme host? News programme? All around show? And what has become of Nkenge Zola? I loved listening to her when she had her own programme and did the news. She just sort of vanished. I got to meet her once and she was so lovely. She was my favourite host. I also remember listening to Cyprus Avenue on Fridays at noon when I was on lunch at work. I'd go get my lunch and sit in my car reclined listening to Bill Shapiro. God, he was so knowledgable. I loved Ruth Brown's show, Georges Collinea's Afropop and Alan Almonds Fast Forward Techno on Friday nights. He ended up joining Underground Resistance techno group. There was another host whose name escapes me. I think his first name is Michael and his last name is Irish and he hosted a show and is now in California. I miss the old WDET when it was much more musically driven. I do still enjoy Car Talk and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. |
Leoqueen
Member
Username: Leoqueen
Post Number: 2110
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 01, 2008 - 11:34 pm: | |
Alan Almond's voice was so smooth, so sexy. |
Mikea
Member
Username: Mikea
Post Number: 70
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 12:02 am: | |
Diane, I miss it too. I pretty much quit listening to it once they dropped most of the music programming. Radio in Detroit is a cesspool and DET was one of the few stations that played challenging music. Some of my favorite bands that could not get played on corporate radio got played on DET and I was introduced to many new artists from the hosts on that channel.
The one I miss the most is Chuck Horn. His program focused on electronic music and was one of a kind in this area. After they cancelled that show Chuck was mid-day host for a short time and did a more eclectic show but that was excellent too. Shame he is no longer on the air, anyone know what Chuck is up to? |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 12:17 am: | |
Oh, yes. I remember Chuck's show. I love electronica. It's right up there with techno, trance and gabber for me. I had actuaqlly begun to listen to WDET when I was just 5 years old and could recite who did the song, who played on it, what instruments were played and even who produced it and the label because when DET played a song, you didn't just hear the music, you got to learn about it, too. It was played in full without interruption unlike other stations that would cut a song down. Like on DET if they played the Moody Blues Lovely To See You, they played the intro narrative. If they played Billy Idol's White Wedding you heard parts 1 and 2. I'll have to Google Chuck and see if he might be on another radio station somewhere. If he is and they stream, I'm on it.  |
Otter
Member
Username: Otter
Post Number: 256
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 12:20 am: | |
I'm one of those people who really misses the music. I discoverd so, so much music that I never would have even been aware of were it not for WDET. Not so anymore. I suppose I have a bit more appreciation for the little music that does remain because WBEZ in Chicago is even worse - they got rid of most of their music last year too, and don't even have half of what WDET has left.
As far as WDET's remaining music programming goes, I most enjoy (by far) the Ed Love show, which I still listen to over the internet. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 12
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 12:35 am: | |
Ed Love is a steady there, thank God. He is so great to listen to and he knows his jazz. I think you can still catch Cyprus Avenue on KCUR's website thru streaming. I do like Fresh Air with Terri Gross and I love Marianne McPartland's piano jazz. She is like in her 80's and still tours and plays gorgeous jazz piano. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 13
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 12:36 am: | |
Oh, quick afterthought: Does anyone remember and can one still catch Dr. Science on WDET and what happened to the little ditties done by The Tokyo Giggling Academy? |
Hamtragedy
Member
Username: Hamtragedy
Post Number: 241
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 3:20 am: | |
Old-man jazz. Same 200 songs. Nothin' past '62. Can't listen. |
Reddog289
Member
Username: Reddog289
Post Number: 506
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 3:43 am: | |
One of those deals, shoulda gave some bux, stopped listning to it, MISS MY OLD SHOWS,but things change. RIP Famous Coachman. |
Reddog289
Member
Username: Reddog289
Post Number: 507
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 3:45 am: | |
Way back time, Mike Halloran? and radios in motion. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 15
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 4:08 am: | |
That would be the one! Thanks! Now I can sleep tonight.
I loved Mike's show. I think he's in CA now doing pretty much the same type of programme. |
Dave70
Member
Username: Dave70
Post Number: 58
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 8:41 am: | |
I miss the old music programs, still listen to the am news.
They gave the shaft to many of the experienced folks to save $ I guess.
Anyone notice the glitches that have happened in the past months like dead air? My guess is that they hired fresh out of college newbies to run the shows, probably paying them half what the others made. There's one announcer who sounds like he's barely past puberty, not a very strong radio presence imho. lol |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 2418
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 8:58 am: | |
Try WDET2 HD, it's music all the time. |
East_detroit
Member
Username: East_detroit
Post Number: 1913
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 9:34 am: | |
Dave70, "paying them"? Heh. |
Ggores
Member
Username: Ggores
Post Number: 242
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 11:25 am: | |
I hardly ever listen to it anymore, ever since what's-her-name 's all-night program was dropped. I only listened for the music anyways. Old fave's include Coachman and World Raggae, or something like that (from the 80's). Ed Love is good when it's too cold to go outside. If I want to get get completely bummed out and distracted by the woes of the world, I'll tune in :-) I miss WABX even more, though. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 21
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 11:36 am: | |
I remember WABX. I liked that station, too. I also remember The Electrifying Mojo. He was so cool. "When you're feeling down and feeling low, don't say Damn, say whammy wo." His programme was awesome. What is Mojo doing these days I wonder? And what has happened to that sultry voiced Nkenge Zola? |
Skylark
Member
Username: Skylark
Post Number: 89
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 1:24 pm: | |
I really miss the music on DET too. My favorites were Dave Dixon, Liz Copeland, Judy Adams, Ann Delisi, and those afternoon shows like Cypress Ave, New Sounds, New Releases in Review, Ruth Brown, & Afro Pop. Martin Bandyke is now on an Ann Arbor station that is a lot like the River, Judy Adams has a short morning show starting at 9am Tuesdays on CJAM 91.5 and Jon Moshier is also on CJAM Wednesdays at 2:30pm. CJAM is cool they play an even wider variety of music that DET ever did. Problem is they are a very low power station. They broadcasting from the basement of the student center at the University of Windsor. You can listen to CJAM online or a zillion other good stations online too, but I still miss the ease of flipping on the radio for good music at any time of the day. Does anyone know what any of the other DET hosts are doing now? |
Melody
Member
Username: Melody
Post Number: 241
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 2:35 pm: | |
I just started listening to it this year. I prefer the talking and the news. I wish it was all news. my iPod, WCSX and WRIF have all the music I want to hear. I like Detroit Today, All Things Considered, all those shows. I like the way people talk and report their stories. It's like having the newspaper read to you in your car by someone with a nice voice. |
Cinderpath
Member
Username: Cinderpath
Post Number: 656
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 2:53 pm: | |
Thanks for the thread- Back when DET played music I feel it was one of the best stations in the country, and had an awesome mix of genres. Now they are pretty much just another generic NPR station like any other. I have not given them a dime since then, and won't either, which is unfortunate, as donated a lot of money. They killed a really great and unique part of Detroit. What I had heard as one of the reasons for the format change was that donations were down at the time (Duh, the Michigan economy was going into a recession then), and that a format change would boost donations. I suspect their finances have not improved much, and we now have a boring format as well, as a lot of alienated long time listeners and friends.
I am sorry, but I can listen to BBC anywhere on the planet, I don't need to pay for it from my local NPR station.
There is absolutely no reason they can't create a blend of good news programs (like Craig's Detroit program) and music programs. Until this happens, I don't think they will regain much of their base, as their is not much distinction between them and say WUOM. Personally, I will not support the station (as much as it pains me) as long as it remains in its current format status. |
Ggores
Member
Username: Ggores
Post Number: 243
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 6:44 pm: | |
"Electrifying Mojo"! Just had to drop the dishes and grab onto this one. Yeah, wasn't he on The Tower? He used to call 'em out, all the hoods, and I even have an old cassette archived somewhere where Mojo says, "And in Brightmoor... shout out to... Slite Return" {that was our band at the time}, followed by a full hour of a Prince/Vanity 6 mix. Ha! We was like 15 years old and sippin' out of fruit jars filled with watermelon-spiked wine. I just had a feeling this is where things were headed.
|
Bobl
Member
Username: Bobl
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 7:58 pm: | |
Remember the "Morphogenesis" show, on WDET? That was probably my favorite. Enjoyed Martin Bandyke, Dave Dixon, and Ed Love.
MP3 and Streaming have rendered shows like these obsolete, but do not replace the warmth and enthusiasm of the hosts.
Just one more step in the homogenization of the country. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 24
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 4:12 am: | |
Hey Ggores! I totally remember Mojo's shoutouts! He was like the originator of shoutouts. You know,when I was last up in Detroit around the summer and fall of last year, I can recall liteneing to one of the stations and could swear I heard Mojo doing an ad. His voice is very hard not to know when you hear it. I miss him. He was cool personified. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 25
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 4:20 am: | |
Cinderpath: Hi! I so agree with you. You know, I never thought WDET would end up being just another "all about the money" corporation imitating entity like it has become. BBC can be got anywhere as you say. It is like the Top 40 playlist of news. NPR used to be so much more cutting edge when it wasn't all it did all day. You used to hear stories on NPR that wouldn't get played out on TV for a couple days. It was like news spoilers. So cool. But, now they are like CNN wannabees. If they don't rethink their strategies and get back to the music that made them so loved, they may face permanent radio silence.  |
Gnome
Member
Username: Gnome
Post Number: 1545
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 5:38 am: | |
Diane, to suggest that the BBC is the "Top 40 playlist of news" ...that's bold.
What other broadcast news organization rises to meet your impeccable standards? just curious.
Can you supply us with any rating information to bolster your claims that WDET walked away from listeners or contributors? I've heard that before, but no one seems to have any data...
Maybe your non-BBC news source might have that data. |
Mikea
Member
Username: Mikea
Post Number: 72
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 11:50 am: | |
Ah the Electrifying Mojo. An absolute legend. I miss this man and his program more than anything else in radio. Mojo gave this white kid in the suburbs a complete musical education back in the day. I became and still am a huge Prince fan because of Mojo, I remember when Mojo would play deep Prince cuts like B-Sides and even bootlegs. Of course there was all the Detroit techno, Jimi, Stevie, James Brown, Al Green, all the Motown and on and on. What I liked the most is Mojo would educate you. He'd play Prince then basically say "OK if you like that here is what made it" then play some Jimi, Sly, James, Stevie, P-Funk, etc. so you got a taste of what influenced the stars of the present. I swear Mojo was responsible for 85% of my record collection back in the day.
Not only was he a great host, he always took the time to talk to me when I'd call in off air. Great guy and I wish he'd return in some form. There were rumors of a satellite radio show but nothing has come of it. Detroit radio needs Mojo now more than ever. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 8492
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 12:41 pm: | |
The toughest part about WDET no longer playing music is the fact that we trusted the radio personalities there to inform us of new music. The best part of listening to the WDET personalities for me was the fact that I didn't always agree with their musical tastes but I was informed of new stuff; I heard different genres, new releases, world music, local music, B sides, live music and simply put- stuff you'd never hear anywhere else. WDET broadened my musical palette whereas the current state of radio now plays the some old monotony. They were truly original in their blend of music and information. |
Diane12163
Member
Username: Diane12163
Post Number: 28
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 2:25 pm: | |
To Gnome: I was merely formulating an opinion of the news. Secondly, WDET moved away from its listeners/contributors when it changed its format to the new one. It is funded mostly by the listeners and they should be included in the decision for format change. After all, they put their good hard earned money into the station so they should get a voice as to its format. Most of the listeners I have heard from in posts on forums have been agreed that it was unfair to change the format so drastically. A lot of folks have said they are no longer listening to WDET.
To Mikea: I hope Mojo comes back, too. He was a real voice in the Detroit music scene and it would be great to have his wisdom back on air.
To Smogboy: They were the vanguard at one point and you could hear such rare cuts by artists you never heard of till them and some of my own record collection was based on their playing. |
Ashdetroit
Member
Username: Ashdetroit
Post Number: 3
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 2:56 pm: | |
It sucks that the music on WDET is gone, but I really find it hard to believe that Cinderpath etc. wouldn't pay a (really tiny) donation yearly to keep an independent news station in Detroit. I mean, isn't delivering a quality news station on the radio (without commercials!) also important?
You can prefer good music to good news, but there's no sense bashing one in favor of the other! |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 8495
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 5:41 pm: | |
Seriously if one wanted to hear truly new music, where does one go in Detroit now? Without WDET, I've been left going to internet radio but that means I'm anchored to my desk. The drive into work doesn't have that occasional gem that Judy Adams, Martin Bandyke, or whomever would play any more. And while I appreciate the news format, some of the features can be a bit long- and maybe it's my schedule or my lifestyle, I just sometimes don't have the time to fully concentrate on a long winded news story. Listening to a 3-5 minute song in the background was much easier for me to digest; if it caught my ear I'd listen maybe just a bit more intently to see who the artist was or in the latter years, go to their website for the playlist.
I truly relied on their personalities to be authorities in finding new and innovative music. I know I can't count on any of the other radio stations to break forth something new or interesting. And it wasn't he fact that they had to play something I loved either- I even appreciated the fact that WDET played stuff I didn't exactly adore. It still expanded my musical knowledge. Listening to them truly expanded my musical knowledge and gave me a deeper appreciation for some of the other forms of music. |
Rjlj
Member
Username: Rjlj
Post Number: 615
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 03, 2008 - 7:45 pm: | |
WDET drove great talent out of this town a few years ago. It is not the same, bring back the music. |