Michigan Radio

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Michigan Radio is a service of Michigan Public Media, the public broadcasting company at the University of Michigan. Michigan Radio is:

  • WUOM 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit
  • WVGR 104.1 Grand Rapids
  • WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint
The stations of Michigan Radio are licensed to the Regents of the University of Michigan.

Radio began at the University of Michigan in the early 1920s, when the University began producing programs for WWJ in Detroit. The University's strategy at the time wasn't to own stations, but to produce programs for other stations throughout the state. By the early 1940s, the University changed direction and tried to apply for an AM frequency. All AM frequencies were unavailable, so in 1944, Michigan applied for a station at 43.1 MHz in the experimental FM band. The Federal Communications Commission eventually granted a license to Michigan for 91.7 in the newly-designated FM band and WUOM began broadcasting from Angell Hall on the Michigan campus in 1948. The station moved into its new home in the LS&A Building in 1949, where it stayed until 2003.

WVGR began broadcasting in December, 1961. WFUM-FM followed in 1985, serving the Flint area. (There was an earlier version of WFUM in Flint for a few years in the 1950's, repeating WUOM from Ann Arbor.)

Michigan Radio was a pioneer in educational broadcasting, producing programs in the 1950s and '60s that were heard throughout the country on educational, and some commercial, stations. The station was a charter member of NPR in 1971.

From its first days on the air, Michigan Radio's program service consisted of music, news, discussion programs, lectures, dramas and documentaries, most of which were produced in the station's four large studios at the LS&A Building. On July 1st, 1996, Michigan Radio inaugurated a new era, entering its second half-century of broadcasting with a news/talk format. Since then, Michigan Radio has grown to become one of the largest public radio stations in the country, with 451,000 weekly listeners to the stations (Fall 2005).

Series

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1 Piece

The Environment Report's Rebecca Williams traveled to Isle Royale to meet the researchers who have been watching how wolves and moose interact for 54 years. The research project is the longest continuous study of any predator-prey system in the world.

Caption: State of Opportunity from Michigan Radio
105 Pieces

What can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for the most disadvantaged children?


Latest Pieces

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Most parents want to believe they’re raising their kids to be free from prejudice. Racism … sexism … these are problems we don’t want to pass dow...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Aug 09, 2013
  • Length: 03:41
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Hackney Brothers, Credit: Facebook
In the mid 1970s, three teenage brothers from Detroit formed a band. That’s not exactly an unusual story. Motown history is full of bands that made...

Bought by WDBM, New Hampshire Public Radio, and Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Jul 15, 2013
  • Length: 03:53
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: State of Opportunity from Michigan Radio
If you think we live in a post-racial world…think again: statistically speaking, being born Black or Latino or Native American is associated with s...

  • Added: May 24, 2013
  • Length: 50:27
Caption: A glimpse into technical classes at Stockbridge High School, Credit: Logan Chadde
Wrapping up our series on Stockbridge schools, State of Opportunity's Sarah Alvarez takes us to the high school, where college readiness and techni...

  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 03:45
Caption: Students at Stockbridge middle school-where they are working hard to improve test scores, Credit: Angie Eagle
Middle school is a crucial time in kids education. It’s when many choose to succeed, or stop believing in themselves. But almost everyone ignores m...

  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 03:36
Caption: Stockbridge superintendent Bruce Brown, Credit: Logan Chadde
In the third piece in the Stockbridge series, State of Opportunity’s Sarah Alvarez tells us about an innovation educators have made work without an...

  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 03:38
Caption: Stockbridge's Smith Elementary uses a system of behavior and learning interventions keep expectations high and kids on track., Credit: Sarah Alvarez / Michigan Radio
In the second piece in the Stockbridge series, State of Opportunity's Sarah Alvarez finds that despite their demographics, kids in the elementary s...

  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 03:34
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In the first piece in the Stockbridge series, State of Opportunity's Sarah Alvarez takes a look at education in Stockbridge and how its' increasing...

  • Added: May 13, 2013
  • Length: 03:48
Caption: Monique Norton is saving money so she can buy a used car and rent an apartment, Credit: Jennifer Guerra / Michigan Radio
Saving money – can be especially hard to do in a tough economy. But for families at the bottom of the economic ladder, saving money can make a real...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: May 10, 2013
  • Length: 03:45
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: The military's strong culture creates opportunities for sharing resources to help families through stressful times, but the military has been criticized for not offering a more formal structure of support., Credit: Sarah Alvarez / Michigan Radio
We’ve been hearing a lot about the effect of stress and trauma on kids the last few days. It can have a profound effect on kids, getting them label...

Bought by KCMJ Community Radio


  • Added: May 03, 2013
  • Length: 04:09
  • Purchases: 1