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Radio Too National for Detroit Public: NPR Station's Patrons File Suit Over Cutbacks of Local Programming

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Tim Jones, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune

Dec. 28--Hell hath no fury like that of a scorned National Public Radio fan--especially in Detroit, where listeners angry over recent programming changes have gone to court, charging the city's NPR station with fraud.

The fury in Detroit over program changes at WDET-FM has listeners claiming they were tricked into contributing money to the station during a pledge drive while station operators were secretly planning to junk locally produced programming and replace it with national talk and public affairs shows.

In a public radio world known for lowered voices and reasonable behavior, the class-action lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court last week is nothing short of incendiary.

"This is a public radio station, and their decision just completely disregarded the public and the community that is loyal to the station and financially supports it," said Kevin Ernst, the lawyer representing a group of listeners. "People contributed for those local programs, not national programs."

Ernst said the listeners want the return of the eclectic, daytime music programs the station canceled as of Dec. 13. And if they can't get that, they want the money they gave in the fall pledge drive.

"This is outright fraud," Ernst added.

A cautionary tale

Louis Lessem, vice president and general counsel at Wayne State University, which owns WDET, said he has "no interest in litigating this in the press. ... We're sorry the plaintiffs choose to do that."

"We understand the disappointment of the listenership, but we do not believe it [the lawsuit] has any merit and we will fully litigate it," Lessem said.

Litigating will likely take months, and in the meantime WDET will have to navigate the increasingly important and sensitive relationship with its listeners, the crucial financial lifeline of the station. If nothing else, the fight over programming in Detroit is a cautionary tale involving public broadcasting stations and the increasingly close relationship they have with their contributors.

Public radio patrons have always been able to make a privileged claim to complain because they provide most of the dollars to keep the stations on the air. In exchange for loyally writing checks and enduring interminable on-air pledge drives, they obtain the implied right to bombard stations with their comments. And they've been doing that for years, as many station managers will verify.

The program change at WDET that eliminated music from the daytime hours has received mixed reviews, with supporters of local music upset and the audience for news programming supportive.

Time of change for stations

This lawsuit comes at a time of change at many NPR stations, where formats are being altered in hopes of building on a growing national audience of more than 27 million listeners weekly, according to Arbitron. More often than not, music has given way to national talk and public affairs programs from NPR, Public Radio International and the British Broadcasting Corp., among other sources. For instance, classical music at Washington's WETA-FM was replaced earlier this year with news and public affairs shows.

Critics of the switch in Detroit complain that the move embraces "the same cookie-cutter format" at many NPR stations, including the public radio station in Ann Arbor, about 40 miles to the west.

However, public radio stations that are heavily news-oriented have enjoyed the greatest audience gains in recent years, according to a recent survey from Station Resource Group, of Takoma Park, Md.

Commercial radio stations change formats and frequently anger some listeners, but these stations are supported by advertising dollars. Most public broadcasters have increased their financial reliance on listeners and corporate sponsors.

That has made the controversy at WDET potentially more troublesome. About 90 percent of the station's annual budget comes from listeners. The station finished its fiscal year on Sept. 30 with a $300,000 deficit, and the fall pledge drive in October fell $100,000 short of its goal.

Michael Coleman, WDET's general manager, referred all questions about the suit to lawyers. But in an open letter to listeners on the station's Web site, he asked for understanding.

"Regardless of how you feel, know that these decisions were painstakingly difficult," Coleman said. "The rationale for the changes were very straightforward--to save and strengthen this important public radio service."

Risk during pledge drives

At WBEZ-FM, Chicago's public radio station, station manager Torey Malatia said stations need to be careful during pledge drives to promote what the station does, not the popularity of an individual program.

"The temptation that we all fall into is to connect fundraising to a specific program. You say, 'Hi, I'm Joe Blow and if you like my show contribute,' which is ridiculous because all the money goes into a general operating fund," Malatia said.

"If you know you're going to make program changes, especially big ones, the worst possible thing you can do is make the changes right after a pledge drive," Malatia said.

Supporters of the lawsuit say they are planning protests during the Detroit Auto Show and the Super Bowl, which will be held Feb. 5 in Detroit.

tmjones@tribune.com

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Source: Chicago Tribune

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