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Detroit NPR Listeners Sue Over Program Changes

Detroit NPR listeners angry over recent programming changes have gone to court, charging the city’s NPR station with fraud, The Chicago Tribune reports. WDET-FM has listeners claim they were tricked into contributing money 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.

“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.”

 

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.

“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,” said Torey Malatia, station manager at WBEZ-FM, Chicago’s public radio station.