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WDTW (AM)
Encyclopedia
WDTW is a Detroit
-area radio station
, operating at 1310 kHz with 5,000 watt
s. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
and airs mostly syndicated progressive talk radio
programs.
Originating as WKMH in 1946, in 1963 it became known as WKNR, the legendary Top 40 "Keener 13" that served the Metro Detroit area in the 1960s and early 1970s. It has undergone a number of format and call letter changes since the end of 'Keener', variously being a simulcast AM source of WNIC
, its sister station
; a soul oldies
station, WMTG; an all-children's station, WDOZ; a personality/oldies/classical station, WYUR; and a talk station of a number of formats.
, simulcasting at 100.3 on the FM dial) was a typical suburban full-service radio station specializing in local news, information, sports, and mainly MOR-oriented pop music. WKMH's most popular personality was Robin Seymour (DJ)
, a pioneering rock and roll
disk jockey in Detroit. Seymour's "Bobbin' with Robin" show featured a music mix that foreshadowed the birth of the Top 40 format in playing R&B and early rock artists like The Crows
alongside mainstream pop stars like Patti Page
. Seymour would stay on at the station as it became WKNR and later became the host of Swingin' Time, a popular local teenage dance show on CKLW-TV
.
WKMH garnered some notice through early 1960s Top 40 shows hosted by personalities such as Lee Alan "On the Horn" and Dave "Sangoo" Prince, but the station was generally considered an also-ran in the Detroit market and a weak competitor of WJBK
and WXYZ, which were Detroit's dominant Top 40 stations. Even WKMH was not a 24-hour Top 40 station; at night, the station featured a jazz show hosted by Jim Rockwell (later of WABX
-FM). In addition, WKMH was briefly Detroit's CBS radio affiliate in 1960, after WJR dropped its CBS affiliation to add more local programming. Despite, or some might say because of, this unusual move, WKMH continued to flounder. In 1962 the station shed its CBS affiliation (which WJR regained) and became "Flagship Radio," an early adult contemporary format featuring a mix of softer current pop hits and MOR album cuts, but this format, too, was a failure.
format in the late 1970s) was convinced there was room for a fourth Top 40 station in Detroit and that 1310 AM could easily climb ahead of the competition. With WKMH owner Nellie Knorr, he developed the formula that ultimately became a smashing success.
One of the factors involved instituting a shorter playlist - only 31 records plus one "key song" of the week and a liberal sprinkling of oldies - than was typical for many Top 40 stations of the era. WJBK, WXYZ and CKLW all had very long playlists at the time, stretching to 80 to 100 songs at times. WKNR's shorter playlist ensured that they played more hits and fewer "stiffs" and that listeners would hear one of the top hits whenever they tuned in. WKNR also played the hits 24 hours a day, as opposed to the other hit stations in Detroit which were loaded with non-music full-service features (especially on weekends).
WKNR officially launched on October 31, 1963, with the "Battle of the Giants," an attention-grabbing promotion that invited listeners to call in to vote for their favourite oldies. The station quickly gained momentum, and until the spring of 1967, despite a weak signal which missed most of the east side of the metro area (especially at night), WKNR was the preeminent rock radio station in the Motor City. Competitors WJBK and WXYZ were badly hurt in the ratings by their new competitor, and both stations eventually were driven out of Top 40 and into MOR formats. It has been reported that the legendary Henry Ford II
himself was an avid Keener fan.
Keener featured popular personalities like Dick Purtan
, Bob Green, Gary Stevens (later of New York's legendary WMCA
), J. Michael Wilson, Scott Regen, Ted Clark and Jim Jeffries, and a mix of music that included a number of local acts including many of Detroit's Motown superstars. Scott Regen's "Motown Monday" features included live concerts from the Roostertail supper club, featuring Motown legends such as the Supremes and The Four Tops. Dick Purtan
honed the wry, sardonic sense of humor that has made him a fixture on the Motor City airwaves for four decades, first on WKNR. The station's promotions, imaging, and jingles were noted for their wacky, offbeat sound and were imitated frequently by other stations across the country, including sister station WKFR in Battle Creek, Michigan
, which was known as "Keener 14." Bob Green would later describe the Keener sound as being like "a 24-hour cartoon."
Keener 13's appeal to adult listeners as well as teens was cemented with the station's heavy news commitment, with "Contact News" at :15 and :45 past the hour every hour. WKNR's newscasts were straightforward and lacked the flash or sensationalism of CKLW's "blood-and-guts" "20/20 News" but were highly regarded. The station released a "Year in Review" album each year which was made available to area schools.
WKNR's dominance was challenged when CKLW-AM got a makeover courtesy of Bill Drake
and Paul Drew in April 1967. With 50,000 watts behind it and a lightning-fast pace based on Drake's "Boss Radio" model, The Big 8 became the number one Top 40 station in the region, and some of Keener's top DJs, including Dick Purtan and Scott Regen, would eventually move over to CKLW. However, WKNR did not go down without a fight, continuing to battle the Big 8 for five more years despite dropping ratings. During this time, the station attempted to distinguish itself from CKLW by playing less bubblegum pop and more rock album cuts, and promoting itself as "Rock and Roll The American Way" (a jab at CKLW's location in Windsor, Ontario, and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission-mandated "Canadian content" regulations imposed at the start of 1971). Sister station WKNR-FM, which had previously simulcast the AM programming, switched to a more adventurous progressive rock
format starting in 1969, followed by an MOR "Stereo Island" format in 1971.
The Keener 13 era is celebrated at Keener13.com, with an extensive history, an archive of air checks and a database of every WKNR Music Guide.
and changed to an easy listening
format as WNIC
, simulcast with its FM sister station. WNIC-FM changed to an adult contemporary format in 1976, a format with which it has been very successful since. AM 1310 simulcast for a short time until the decision was made in 1977 to revive the "Keener 13" brand name on its original frequency with an adult-oriented Top 40/Oldies mix and a new call sign, WWKR. The legendary "Keener 13" record survey, the "Keener Music Guide," was also brought back, but was published on a monthly rather than weekly basis. The second version of "Keener 13" did not have the success of the original, and by 1980, AM 1310 was back to simulcasting WNIC-FM.
Since late 1986, AM 1310 has tried several other different formats, none of which have attained lasting success, and has been in and out of simulcasting WNIC 100.3 between formats. Other formats heard on 1310 since 1986 include:
Today, WKNR's 1310 frequency is home to WDTW, owned by Clear Channel Communications
. The station features a news-talk format. The station's call letters temporarily changed to WWWW on July 24, 2006 as part of a station swap between Clear Channel Communications
and Cumulus Media
in the Ann Arbor
and Canton, Ohio
markets. On September 15th, 2006 the call letters were changed back to WDTW.
On January 21, 2010, WDTW's affiliate Air America Media filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
and ceased live programming the same night. Reruns of Air America's programming continued to air until Monday January 25 at 9PM Eastern Time
. After that, WDTW has had to find other programs.
s and brokered programming
. Local shows include on Saturday 8am Detroit Home Grown; 9am My Great Kid, 10am Lateefah Talks Live and 12 Noon is High Noon. Sunday includes Your Money Matters at 8:30am and Fighting for Justice at 10am
, The Thom Hartmann
Show, The Ed Schultz Show
and the Phil Hendrie Show, which ironically was part of its lineup when it otherwise carried nearly all-Air America programming.
. Mario Impemba
(the popular television play by play announcer of Detroit Tigers
baseball on Fox Sports Detroit
) handles play-by-play duty. This is the first time in school history Oakland has had a flagship radio deal.
's Rocket Sports Radio Network, covering all football
and men's basketball
games, plus their coach's shows. Mark Beier is the play-by-play announcer for both sports.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
-area radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, operating at 1310 kHz with 5,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
and airs mostly syndicated progressive talk radio
Progressive talk radio
Progressive talk radio is a talk radio format devoted to expressing liberal or progressive viewpoints of issues, as opposed to conservative talk radio...
programs.
Originating as WKMH in 1946, in 1963 it became known as WKNR, the legendary Top 40 "Keener 13" that served the Metro Detroit area in the 1960s and early 1970s. It has undergone a number of format and call letter changes since the end of 'Keener', variously being a simulcast AM source of WNIC
WNIC
WNIC is an American radio station based in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting at 100.3 MHz FM. WNIC's studios and offices are located in Farmington Hills, MI. WNIC's transmitter is located near Schoolcraft and Livernois Avenue in the City of Detroit on the near west side. WNIC broadcasts with an...
, its sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
; a soul oldies
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
station, WMTG; an all-children's station, WDOZ; a personality/oldies/classical station, WYUR; and a talk station of a number of formats.
Early years
AM 1310 began broadcasting in 1946 under the call sign WKMH. Originally a daytime-only station at 1540 on the AM dial, WKMH moved to its current 1310 frequency and began 24-hour operations in 1948. In its early years, WKMH (joined around 1950 by sister station WKMH-FMWNIC
WNIC is an American radio station based in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting at 100.3 MHz FM. WNIC's studios and offices are located in Farmington Hills, MI. WNIC's transmitter is located near Schoolcraft and Livernois Avenue in the City of Detroit on the near west side. WNIC broadcasts with an...
, simulcasting at 100.3 on the FM dial) was a typical suburban full-service radio station specializing in local news, information, sports, and mainly MOR-oriented pop music. WKMH's most popular personality was Robin Seymour (DJ)
Robin Seymour (DJ)
Robin Seymour was a former WKMH/CKLW Radio Personality and Television Music Show and Host of 'Teen Town" and "Swingin' Time" in Detroit...
, a pioneering rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
disk jockey in Detroit. Seymour's "Bobbin' with Robin" show featured a music mix that foreshadowed the birth of the Top 40 format in playing R&B and early rock artists like The Crows
The Crows
The Crows were an American R & B singing group who achieved commercial success in the 1950s. The group's first single and only major hit, "Gee", released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first Rock nā Roll hit by a rock and roll group...
alongside mainstream pop stars like Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
. Seymour would stay on at the station as it became WKNR and later became the host of Swingin' Time, a popular local teenage dance show on CKLW-TV
CBET
CBET, channel 9, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's owned-and-operated television station in Windsor, Ontario. The station's signal also covers the Detroit, Michigan area across the international border in the United States, and is counted as a Detroit station for the purposes of...
.
WKMH garnered some notice through early 1960s Top 40 shows hosted by personalities such as Lee Alan "On the Horn" and Dave "Sangoo" Prince, but the station was generally considered an also-ran in the Detroit market and a weak competitor of WJBK
WLQV
WLQV is a radio station serving the Detroit, Michigan market. The station's fifty-thousand watt daytime signal enables it to be heard from Michigan's Thumb area down to Northwest Ohio, and from Lansing, Michigan to Chatham, Ontario, Canada. WLQV has a Christian talk format.-WJBK:WLQV first signed...
and WXYZ, which were Detroit's dominant Top 40 stations. Even WKMH was not a 24-hour Top 40 station; at night, the station featured a jazz show hosted by Jim Rockwell (later of WABX
WYCD
WYCD is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan. The station is the only country music station in the Detroit area. WYCD's offices and studios are located on Woodward Heights . near Interstate 75 in Ferndale, Michigan...
-FM). In addition, WKMH was briefly Detroit's CBS radio affiliate in 1960, after WJR dropped its CBS affiliation to add more local programming. Despite, or some might say because of, this unusual move, WKMH continued to flounder. In 1962 the station shed its CBS affiliation (which WJR regained) and became "Flagship Radio," an early adult contemporary format featuring a mix of softer current pop hits and MOR album cuts, but this format, too, was a failure.
"Keener 13"
Despite the power of WJBK and WXYZ and the 50,000-watt signal of CKLW, consultant Mike Joseph (perhaps best known for developing the Hot HitsHot Hits
Hot Hits was a radio format created by consultant Mike Joseph in the 1970s. That concept, which helped spur the birth of what is now known as CHR, also revitalized the Top 40 format and would play a role in bringing the format to the FM band throughout the 1980s.The concept was to play only the...
format in the late 1970s) was convinced there was room for a fourth Top 40 station in Detroit and that 1310 AM could easily climb ahead of the competition. With WKMH owner Nellie Knorr, he developed the formula that ultimately became a smashing success.
One of the factors involved instituting a shorter playlist - only 31 records plus one "key song" of the week and a liberal sprinkling of oldies - than was typical for many Top 40 stations of the era. WJBK, WXYZ and CKLW all had very long playlists at the time, stretching to 80 to 100 songs at times. WKNR's shorter playlist ensured that they played more hits and fewer "stiffs" and that listeners would hear one of the top hits whenever they tuned in. WKNR also played the hits 24 hours a day, as opposed to the other hit stations in Detroit which were loaded with non-music full-service features (especially on weekends).
WKNR officially launched on October 31, 1963, with the "Battle of the Giants," an attention-grabbing promotion that invited listeners to call in to vote for their favourite oldies. The station quickly gained momentum, and until the spring of 1967, despite a weak signal which missed most of the east side of the metro area (especially at night), WKNR was the preeminent rock radio station in the Motor City. Competitors WJBK and WXYZ were badly hurt in the ratings by their new competitor, and both stations eventually were driven out of Top 40 and into MOR formats. It has been reported that the legendary Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
himself was an avid Keener fan.
Keener featured popular personalities like Dick Purtan
Dick Purtan
Dick Purtan is a former American radio personality. His last radio job was as the morning radio show host on Oldies 104.3 serving the Detroit, Michigan U.S. radio market. Purtan was also a disc jockey at WKNR-AM, WXYZ-AM, CKLW-AM and WCZY-FM which became WKQI-FM in 1989...
, Bob Green, Gary Stevens (later of New York's legendary WMCA
WMCA
WMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City, most known for its "Good Guys" Top 40 era in the 1960s. It is currently owned by Salem Communications and plays a Christian radio format...
), J. Michael Wilson, Scott Regen, Ted Clark and Jim Jeffries, and a mix of music that included a number of local acts including many of Detroit's Motown superstars. Scott Regen's "Motown Monday" features included live concerts from the Roostertail supper club, featuring Motown legends such as the Supremes and The Four Tops. Dick Purtan
Dick Purtan
Dick Purtan is a former American radio personality. His last radio job was as the morning radio show host on Oldies 104.3 serving the Detroit, Michigan U.S. radio market. Purtan was also a disc jockey at WKNR-AM, WXYZ-AM, CKLW-AM and WCZY-FM which became WKQI-FM in 1989...
honed the wry, sardonic sense of humor that has made him a fixture on the Motor City airwaves for four decades, first on WKNR. The station's promotions, imaging, and jingles were noted for their wacky, offbeat sound and were imitated frequently by other stations across the country, including sister station WKFR in Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, which was known as "Keener 14." Bob Green would later describe the Keener sound as being like "a 24-hour cartoon."
Keener 13's appeal to adult listeners as well as teens was cemented with the station's heavy news commitment, with "Contact News" at :15 and :45 past the hour every hour. WKNR's newscasts were straightforward and lacked the flash or sensationalism of CKLW's "blood-and-guts" "20/20 News" but were highly regarded. The station released a "Year in Review" album each year which was made available to area schools.
WKNR's dominance was challenged when CKLW-AM got a makeover courtesy of Bill Drake
Bill Drake
Bill Drake , born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.-Early career:...
and Paul Drew in April 1967. With 50,000 watts behind it and a lightning-fast pace based on Drake's "Boss Radio" model, The Big 8 became the number one Top 40 station in the region, and some of Keener's top DJs, including Dick Purtan and Scott Regen, would eventually move over to CKLW. However, WKNR did not go down without a fight, continuing to battle the Big 8 for five more years despite dropping ratings. During this time, the station attempted to distinguish itself from CKLW by playing less bubblegum pop and more rock album cuts, and promoting itself as "Rock and Roll The American Way" (a jab at CKLW's location in Windsor, Ontario, and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission-mandated "Canadian content" regulations imposed at the start of 1971). Sister station WKNR-FM, which had previously simulcast the AM programming, switched to a more adventurous progressive rock
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
format starting in 1969, followed by an MOR "Stereo Island" format in 1971.
The Keener 13 era is celebrated at Keener13.com, with an extensive history, an archive of air checks and a database of every WKNR Music Guide.
Later years
On April 25, 1972, "Keener 13" signed off to the sounds of "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The ByrdsThe Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
and changed to an easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
format as WNIC
WNIC
WNIC is an American radio station based in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting at 100.3 MHz FM. WNIC's studios and offices are located in Farmington Hills, MI. WNIC's transmitter is located near Schoolcraft and Livernois Avenue in the City of Detroit on the near west side. WNIC broadcasts with an...
, simulcast with its FM sister station. WNIC-FM changed to an adult contemporary format in 1976, a format with which it has been very successful since. AM 1310 simulcast for a short time until the decision was made in 1977 to revive the "Keener 13" brand name on its original frequency with an adult-oriented Top 40/Oldies mix and a new call sign, WWKR. The legendary "Keener 13" record survey, the "Keener Music Guide," was also brought back, but was published on a monthly rather than weekly basis. The second version of "Keener 13" did not have the success of the original, and by 1980, AM 1310 was back to simulcasting WNIC-FM.
Since late 1986, AM 1310 has tried several other different formats, none of which have attained lasting success, and has been in and out of simulcasting WNIC 100.3 between formats. Other formats heard on 1310 since 1986 include:
- WMTG - satellite-fed Rhythmic OldiesRhythmic oldiesRhythmic Oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, disco or dance genres of music. Playlists may span from the 1970s through the early 1990s...
, 1986-1991. The calls stood for "Motown Gold." - WDOZ - children's programming, 1994-1996 (affiliated with the Radio AAHSRadio AAHSRadio AAHS was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC-AM 1280 in Minneapolis, which broadcast from the former First Federal Bank building at Highway 100 and Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park. At its height in 1996, Radio AAHS had 29...
network and then with KidStar after AAHS went under) - WYUR - "Your Radio Station"/Personality News-Talk/Adult Standards/Classical, 1997-2000. This permutation of AM 1310 was started by veteran WJR broadcaster Bob Hynes in an attempt to revive the sound of the 50,000-watt giant at AM 760 before it changed to the standard news/talk outlet it is now. After longtime classical-music station WQRS changed format in November 1997, the station added classical music to its schedule. However, WYUR had only a minimal impact in the ratings.
- WXDX - "The X"/Sports Talk (Fox Sports Radio), 2000-2002
- WXDX - "The X"/Talk (mostly syndicated), 2002-2005
Today, WKNR's 1310 frequency is home to WDTW, owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
. The station features a news-talk format. The station's call letters temporarily changed to WWWW on July 24, 2006 as part of a station swap between Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
and Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
in the Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
markets. On September 15th, 2006 the call letters were changed back to WDTW.
On January 21, 2010, WDTW's affiliate Air America Media filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
and ceased live programming the same night. Reruns of Air America's programming continued to air until Monday January 25 at 9PM Eastern Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is ā5 hrs during standard time and ā4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. After that, WDTW has had to find other programs.
Local Paid Programming
Much of WDTW's weekend lineup comes from infomercialInfomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s and brokered programming
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
. Local shows include on Saturday 8am Detroit Home Grown; 9am My Great Kid, 10am Lateefah Talks Live and 12 Noon is High Noon. Sunday includes Your Money Matters at 8:30am and Fighting for Justice at 10am
Progressive Talk Radio
Current daily programs includes Local Progressive personality Tony Trupiano, The Stephanie Miller ShowThe Stephanie Miller Show
The Stephanie Miller Show is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu style. The three-hour show is hosted by comedienne Stephanie Miller along with voice artist Jim Ward and the show's engineer and executive...
, The Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann is an American radio host, author, former psychotherapist and entrepreneur, and progressive political commentator. His nationally-syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, airs in the United States and has 2.75 million listeners a week...
Show, The Ed Schultz Show
The Ed Schultz Show
The Ed Schultz Show is a radio program hosted by Ed Schultz. It was formerly broadcast from KFGO in Fargo, North Dakota. It is heard on a network of over 100 stations , including seven of the 10 largest radio markets...
and the Phil Hendrie Show, which ironically was part of its lineup when it otherwise carried nearly all-Air America programming.
Local programming
Nancy Skinner broadcast a morning show on WDTW from January to December 2005.Oakland University Basketball
WDTW-AM is the flagship station of Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketballOakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the men's basketball team that represent Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, USA. The school's team competes in The Summit League and plays their home games at the Athletics Center O'Rena. The Golden Grizzlies are coached by Greg Kampe...
. Mario Impemba
Mario Impemba
Mario Impemba is an American sportscaster, currently the TV voice of the Detroit Tigers and the radio and TV voice of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team.-Early life:...
(the popular television play by play announcer of Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
baseball on Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit , is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams in the state of Michigan, mostly those in the Metro Detroit area. It is an owned and operated affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
) handles play-by-play duty. This is the first time in school history Oakland has had a flagship radio deal.
Toledo Rockets
WDTW-AM is a member of the University of ToledoUniversity of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
's Rocket Sports Radio Network, covering all football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games, plus their coach's shows. Mark Beier is the play-by-play announcer for both sports.