WDET, Detroit’s beloved public radio station known for its independent journalism and deep ties to the local music scene, is fighting for its future as President Donald Trump escalates his attacks on the media.
A Trump-backed House bill, which passed by just two votes on June 12, would claw back $1.1 billion in already-approved funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The cuts would affect more than 1,000 radio stations, including WDET, and roughly 350 television stations across the country.
“This isn’t just about WDET,” Adam Fox, WDET’s program director since May 2023, tells Metro Times. “This is a national crisis. It’s a clear and present danger to the free press.”
The Senate has until July 18 to act on the bill.
Without adequate funding, public broadcasting is at risk of losing its local, independent, and diverse programming that serves communities often overlooked by corporate media.
For WDET, which is 101.9 on the FM dial, the federal cuts would eliminate nearly $300,000 in direct support, or 6% of the station’s annual budget, in addition to more than $200,000 in shared services that include the station’s satellite system.
“It’s our biggest single source grant,” Mary Zatina, general manager of WDET, tells Metro Times. “If we lose it, we’re in a world of hurt. We actually ended in a deficit last year. Right now, with the CPB grant, we are worried about another deficit.”
To get ahead of the potential cuts, WDET has launched a campaign to encourage at least 1,000 former members to make a contribution. Listeners may also make a contribution online at wdet.org/support.
The station currently has 10,520 members, defined as anyone who has donated within the past year. That may sound like a lot, but it only amounts to about 5% of WDET’s weekly listenership of nearly 200,000.
“I think it’s easier to grab listeners quickly,” Fox says. “It’s harder to get them to pay for something that is free. But what we do know is, the longer people spend time with us, the more likely they are to turn into members.”
Listeners make up about 55% of the station’s funding.
“Member support is the lion’s share of what makes WDET work,” Fox says. “The reality is, that’s who we rely on. That’s who sustained us for 76 years. That’s who will continue to sustain us. We would much rather rely on our community than to lean on fickle lines of revenue sources.”
WDET’s biggest investment is its 65 employees, who make up about 70% of the station’s budget.
WDET has long served as a rare, independent voice committed to public service, local news, and culturally rich programming in Detroit. In 1948, the United Auto Workers founded the station to counter the corporate bias of commercial stations. The station’s first broadcast was in February 1949, and the diverse programming included news, music, multilingual broadcasts, and reports on labor.
But running a nonprofit station with a sizable deficit was more than the UAW wanted to handle. In 1952, WDET was transferred to Wayne State University under the condition that it continues to serve the public.
Today, the station reaches across metro Detroit and into parts of Ohio and Canada with an 80-mile coverage radius.
WDET receives no corporate funding, which station leaders say enables them to focus on its mission to serve the public with independent journalism, Detroit-focused storytelling, and local music.
But that mission is at risk under the House bill. Republican lawmakers are targeting the CPB, a nonprofit that supports non-commercial radio (National Public Radio) and television stations (Public Broadcasting Service). The Trump administration called NPR and PBS “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news,’” presumably because they don’t peddle the president’s talking points or promote his false narratives like Fox News and other far-right outlets do.
Trump’s attack on non-commercial media jeopardizes decades of bipartisan support for public broadcasting, which reaches more than 98% of Americans and provides a free and vital news and emergency alert system, especially to those in underserved areas.
“The consequences will be widespread and deeply felt,” WDET warned of the potential cuts in a public statement. “It’s not just about defunding public media. It’s about silencing independent voices and dismantling local institutions that help keep our communities informed, safe, and connected.”
WDET is unlike a lot of public radio stations. While many rely on national shows for most of its programming, Detroit’s station focuses primarily on local news, culture, and music, making it a significant source of community connection. About 82% of WDET’s programming is local.
“I’ve always felt that what made WDET stand out wasn’t just another random, cookie-cutting NPR affiliate that carried the same programs,” Fox says. “What made WDET special was Detroit. That’s what made WDET special. That’s the important thing.”
Much of the local reporting is spearheaded by longtime journalist Jerome Vaughn, a Detroit native and WDET’s news director.
“Detroit is, as always, changing,” Vaughn says. “We’re really working to talk to people about what they are concerned about, what they’re excited about, and what’s going to make them cast their ballot one way or another.”
Unlike many corporate media outlets, WDET doesn’t chase sensational stories. Instead, Vaughn says, the station focuses on local government, education, and issues that affect people’s daily lives.
“For us, what the mayor does and the city council does is going to affect a much larger number of people,” Vaughn said. “When you’ve got relatively limited resources, you have to pick and choose which story you are going to tell.”
Fox, who grew up across the river in Windsor listening to WDET, began working at the station in May 2023 with the goal of reversing dips in listenership and membership.
“When I got here, our audience was diminishing. Our membership was diminishing,” Fox says. “We’d been through a period of shrinking over the past several years. Our challenge was to identify some strategies to deal with that.”
In an effort to reenergize the station, Fox led the revamping of WDET’s programming based on listener feedback, and beginning in February 2024, the station premiered its new lineup, which included a slate of new music shows and fresh local content.
“What we heard is, our audience loves everything we do, but they love music a lot,” Fox says. “And we didn’t have a lot of music programming at the time. So I thought, ‘Let’s find some bonafide members of the music community that have some presentation chops and get them on the air.’”
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And it worked. Music shows like MI Local, The Detroit Move, Alternative Take, Don Was Motor City Playlist, and Jay’s Place have more than doubled their audience over the past year. Overall, the average weekly audience has increased by nearly 20%.
But unlike commercial radio stations, WDET can’t convert those new listeners into revenue through advertising. The goal is to encourage people who tune in for the music, journalism, and cultural discussions to become members.
“We’re not commercial radio. We can’t immediately turn those listeners into dollars,” Fox says. “Our gamble is that we’re trying to bring in more audience, get them here, get them invested, and then turn them into members. We’re banking on the idea that we will see more members come to WDET.”
In addition to its normal lineup, WDET also provides services that commercial radio does not. Its Detroit Radio Information Services offers daily audio content for people who are visually impaired or illiterate. Volunteers read from newspapers, magazines, and grocery ads, helping listeners stay informed and connected.
“It’s our best-kept secret,” Zatina said. “We’re addressing social isolation.”
WDET also offers paid internships to train the next generation of storytellers. Some of the interns come from Detroit Public Schools Community District, and they’re taught about podcasting and journalism.
Jose Llanas, a recent Wayne State graduate with a degree in music technology, says he’s learned a lot about radio working as an audio engineering intern for WDET this year.
“This has been a great opportunity,” Llanas says. “I’m so happy to be here.”
Wayne State journalism student Tristan McFolley worked at WDET as an intern in 2024, and his work earned him second place in excellence in journalism from the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He also was awarded $1,000 through the Scripps Howard Fund WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit Scholarship.
Amid the uncertainty, WDET is finding new ways to strengthen its bond with the community. Fox is optimistic that listeners will come through when WDET needs it the most.
“We’re bullish,” he says. “I think, despite the challenges in front of us, there are lots of folks who love WDET. But they need to know it doesn’t work without them.”
You can make a donation to WDET at wdet.org/support.
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This article appears in Jul 9-22, 2025.