December 15, 2005

Journal Bill McGraw: New WDET chief deflects static and appreciates audience passion

He\'s had his job only since August, but this week disgruntled listeners are flaying him on message boards and blogs. The phones at his radio station won\'t stop ringing. One letter writer called him an idiot. There\'s a protest rally scheduled for Sunday. So, Michael Coleman, general manager of WDET-FM (101.9), how do you like Detroit so far? \"I am encouraged that people in my hometown care so much and are so passionate about public radio,\" he said Wednesday morning, taking a break in his modest office whose chief design element is numerous posters and figurines of Superman, Coleman\'s whimsical hero... Steve Brown, associate vice-president of marketing at Wayne State University , which owns WDET, said Coleman was recommended by Caryn Mathes, who left the station this year for a Washington public radio job. \"I think the station needs a bit of a shake-up,\" Brown said, adding that his bosses gave Coleman no specific marching orders. \"If anything, he was given the responsibility to assess things and make changes. He\'s not afraid to make changes.\" This article also included a photo of Michael Coleman.

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