why 101.9, why?

As like-minded individuals know, National Public Radio’s affiliate in Detroit, Michigan broadcasts on 101.9 FM, WDET, from the campus of Wayne State University. Over the last 1 – 2 years the station has gone through some fairly major changes, specifically in programming, and to a lesser degree, in on-air talent. This changing of the guard has brought with it the baggage of the “2 camp segregation” that accompanies any change of pace: you’ve got one group thrilled with the change, and one group crying out for the way things were. [Granted, there technically is a third group that consists of the Unawares and the I-don’t-cares, but they have no bearing in this discussion.]

Now, these adjustments – both to programming and talent – have aroused the ire of the local NPR listener community. From my limited viewpoint, programming, by far, has taken the brunt of this backlash. The on-air talent has been lamented to a much lesser degree.

Having said that, I can somewhat understand adjustments to programming. The program directors claim their market research shows people want more news, more talk, more Detroit (read: urban/social issues around the city’s plight) –centric discussions, etc. And if you’re going to increase talk shows, that airtime must come at the expense of radio's other offerings: music and entertainment.

I understand that these program directors are going to do whatever they can to cater to their perceived demographic > increase their aggregate of listeners > increase potential donations > keep the station profitable > keep their jobs. I’m not so disillusioned by idealism that I think the people calling the shots at WDET are above self-preservation and would stick to the heritage, to the pedigree, of the station (even though I secretly want them to be above it, and to stick to it). Hell, I even genuinely like some of the morning and afternoon-commute programming they get from NPR and PRI. But it is lamentable that an uber-rich tradition of music (a tradition that you’re not going to find anywhere else, mind you) of world music, of Detroit music, of all kinds of music, is no longer available, cut down in its prime, like a young River Phoenix going lifeless in a Hollywood gutter. God bless you Mr. Bandyke. Blue shadows on the trail Ralph Valdez. Coo-coo coo-choo Ms. Copeland. Hello, amputated Ed Love, stunted Michael Julien. Larry McDaniel, when’d you get out of the hoosegow? I thought they’d sent you packin’ for good this time. Well, never you mind. Welcome back fella. You just make yourself comfortable. Grab a seat right there. Yes, right there. Right by 5 hours of BBC World Service and just to the left of an hour of our new News & Notes (read: “talk from an urban/social issues perspective”, to put it mildly) with Farai Chideya. Yes, Larry I agree with you. News & Notes is terribly misleading for programming that pats itself on its back as it “kicks off a month-long series on hip-hop with…free-wheeling and at times combative interview(s).”

Whatever. It’s just a shame. But so is most progress.

At any rate, most people who fall into the “way things were” camp bemoan the change in programming – but what really puts the proverbial bustle in my hedgerow is the on-air talent that WDET has forced upon the common man. Now, I know I just went off on the programming decisions, but let’s face it: I’ve got CDs, I’ve got the internet, I’ve got an iPod, I’ve got friends and associates with desirable music. The well of new/fresh/cutting edge/just-plain-great-music didn’t dry up for me when WDET’s program directors thought they were starring in a bad 80’s slasher flick down at the Bijou, cut the heart out of the station, and then proceeded to go off the reservation. I can live with it. What I can’t live with is Amy Miller. Billed as “a Detroit native, experienced reporter and news host”, Amy Miller crawled her way out of the Missouri backwoods to return to our fair City of Dreams. Once here she played charmer to Joan Silvi’s (WDET News Director) snake and landed the coveted "host of Morning Edition" gig. This is prime time for this genre of radio station. The morning commute. You need to be on top of your game. A game that consists of introducing segments, reading local news, traffic, and weather, and handing it off to local WDET talent. If you’re incapable of doing that, take off the cans, and get off the mic. If you can’t read your updates without massacring the English language, give it up. If you are prone to stumble when speaking, try being an assistant to someone who knows what they’re doing. If you can’t adapt – if you can’t generate a smooth transition when the occasional technological flaw heats up, get out of the kitchen. And when you’re voice drives me up the freakin’ wall as it drips with the smug overtones of “I’m really good at my important job” as you drop the ball again and again, then pack it up, go home, and stick your head in the oven.

See you in the unemployment line Amy Miller. I'll be the guy flashing daggers at you.