WHFR News
This Just In: Episode 42
Episode 42 of This Just In, WHFR's pre-recorded new music showcase airing Mondays from 8-9p, airs April 21st, 2025.
This week's playlist:
Vince Guaraldi Trio - Fly Me To The Moon (Remastered 2025) [Jazz / Soundtrack]
Bardo ft. Combo Chimbita - Renacer [World / Indie]
Matt Berninger - Bonnet Of Pins [Indie Rock]
Marina Yozora - Daffodils [Indie / Dream Pop]
The Finesse - Soul On Fire (Scott Yoshimura Remix) [R&B / Soul]
dissociate - Faceless Ones [Dark Electronic / Soundtrack]
The Faux Paws - Night [Americana / Folk]
Madeline Rosene - Fish Astronaut [Indie Pop]
Taj Mahal & Mindy Canter - I'm Too Young To Be This Old [Blues]
Franco Campanino - Avere vent'anni (Disco) [Soundtrack / World]
Samir Boehringer Sazzerac - Clickbait [Jazz]
Japanese Breakfast - Honey Water [Indie Rock / Pop]
The Seldom Scene - Last of the Steam-Powered Trains [Bluegrass / Cover]
Tune in to This Just In each week as we feature a unique playlist of music recently received at the station, in a variety of musical formats.
To submit your music for airplay consideration, please visit the Contact Us tab on our website: https://whfr.fm.
WHFR Journal Features Dearborn's State of the City, Earth Day Info and More -- Tune in 4/19/25 at 1pm
On this week's WFR Journal tomorrow at 1pm, we're pleased to air the State of the City speech from Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud from his address took place on Tuesday. Also, we'll share a PRX piece from 2023 featuring Arturo Sandoval, in honor of Earth Day, who spoke about the day itself, and his work. Arturo is the founding director of the Center of Southwest Culture and the Western Regional Coordinator for the very first Earth Day. To those that celebrate, Happy Passover, Happy Easter, and Happy Earth Day!
A Big Radiothon “Thank You” From Theme Attic!
There are never any expectations when doing a show during Radiothon—the pledge drive week for WHFR. However, the generosity of our listeners during Theme Attic and other shows was wonderful to experience!
Thank you so, so very much for believing in the vision that is WHFR, and to start the post-Radiothon schedule, let's start with the annual Theme Attic "Spring Cleaning Show" this Wednesday, April 16, from 12:00 - 4:00 pm EDT. That's where the primary focus is to play songs only from Phil Maq's mp3 player to make room for even newer music from independent artists... tune in for the fun and variety!
This Just In: Episode 41
Episode 41 of This Just In, WHFR's pre-recorded new music showcase airing Mondays from 8-9p, airs April 14th, 2025.
This week's playlist:
Katatonia - Lilac [Metal / World]
Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy [Indie Rock]
Σtella - Caravan [Indie / Alternative]
Meta-Tae - Paradise [Neo Soul]
Big Special - This Here Ain't Water [Indie / Alternative]
DARKSIDE - Heavy Is Good For This [Electronic / Art Rock]
googly eyes - 5 More Minutes [Indie Pop]
Young Gun Silver Fox - Stevie & Sly [Indie / Funk]
Boiler Room Band - Selfish [Local / Indie Rock]
Vampire Cowgirl - Irish Setter [Local / Post-Punk]
Quentyn - Carry It On [Electronic]
Hiromi ft. Sonicwonder - XYZ [Nu Jazz]
M2U - Blythe [Video Game Soundtrack]
Tune in to This Just In each week as we feature a unique playlist of music recently received at the station, in a variety of musical formats.
To submit your music for airplay consideration, please visit the Contact Us tab on our website: https://whfr.fm.
This Sunday on "Hotwax Radio"
This Sunday, April 13, on Hotwax Radio, the White Rabbit will be letting mayhem loose in the studios of WHFR: Batman, Robin and the rest of the Gotham City Cast. Starting at 7:00pm, tune in and enjoy the Dynamic Duo execute their crime fighting skills with madcap music, sounds, and plain wackadoo theatre!
The White Rabbit would like to issue a special thank you for all those who contributed to WHFR’s Radiothon 2025. You are appreciated!
It’s VINYLTHON Weekend!
Each year, radio stations across the world come together for Vinylthon, to take part in supporting not only the timeless medium of vinyl records by playing actual records over the air, but also the incredible people that keep the records spinning.
Vinylthon is also a fundraising event for the College Radio Foundation, an all-volunteer non-profit that organizes the scholarships offered to encourage, prepare, and support the next generation of broadcasters. All money raised during this event allows the Vinylthon Scholarships to reach more students that have the passion and desire to pursue a career in radio.
The College Radio Foundation that organizes this event also hosts the annual College Radio Day event. College Radio Day unites hundreds of USA college radio stations each year and has been supported by numerous artists including Andrew WK, Aviici, Coldplay, The Lumineers, Moby, and Wyclef Jean among others. College Radio Day has even been recognized by TIME Magazine, calling it "A nationwide movement...illuminating the cultural significance of student-run radio."
Various WHFR DJ’s will be taking part throughout the day, so tune in to WHFR to see if you can spot the needle drop… and hear vinyl’s unmistakable crackle and pop!
Thank You For Your Support!
All of us here at WHFR thanks each and every one of our loyal WHFR supporters during Radiothon 2025!
If you missed Radiothon, please be aware that it is never too late to pledge your tax-deductible support to your favorite independent, non-commercial station!:
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
Thanks again!
Special Radiothon Guests on "Light from the Underground"
Light from the Underground (Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) will feature two special guests on Saturday, April 12.
Host Bill Keith will be joined by Chris Herin from the bands Herin and Tiles from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Herin's album Hiding in Plain Sight has been receiving significant airplay on Light from the Underground since its release this past fall. The vinyl version of the album is being released on Saturday, April 12, for Record Store Day. Chris will talk about the album and the impact of non-commercial radio for his bands.
Former WHFR 89.3 FM host John Bommarito will join the show from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. John knows the value of non-commercial stations like WHFR from his time at the station and his current work for WEMU at Eastern Michigan University. Bill appreciates the opportunity to welcome John back to continue the tradition of celebrating WHFR during Radiothon.
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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32 Out of 40
As WHFR Radio approaches 40 years of on-air broadcasting, I look back at my beginnings here. It was March of 1993, 32 years ago. Man, I've been here 80% of the total time that WHFR has been on the air. As I was preparing for my second show ever, the legendary artist SUN RA passed away. I thought to myself, "Well, I have a large collection of his music, perhaps I can do a four-hour retrospective of his career."
I was given the green light by management and off I went, never to look back.
Four-hour shows became commonplace and over the past 32 years, birthday tributes to important jazz artists, memorials after their passing, in-depth looks into careers and label spotlights have made this ride an extremely worthwhile adventure. WHFR continues to provide a much-needed outlet for creative radio, spotlighting little-heard and local artists on a daily basis. Here's to another 40 years on air!!
–Pat Frisco, WHFR Program Director
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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"Highway 61" (1995~2025) "Keeping the Blues Alive" on WHFR-FM 89.3
Blues has been heard on the Highway 61 program Friday broadcast since its first airing in 1995, with host Jo Ann Korczynska in the 2pm until 6pm time-slot, on WHFR-FM. DJ~KittyLuv is the current host spinning Blues from local Artists' independent labels, along with the best in new releases, on the 89.3FM broadcast "Making~Waves".
Jo Ann K. did an award-winning presentation showcasing Detroit Blues Artists and new music, as the original host of the weekly Friday Blues program, from 1995 until 2015. She was very passionate about "Keeping the Blues Alive" and she played a big part in helping "...lesser known musicians to get their music on the air..." and "... produced three Uncut Detroit compilation Blues CDs, and was awarded a Detroit Blues Society lifetime achievement award."
DJ ~KittyLuv now hosts the Highway 61 program each week and continues to spin the best in new Blues releases and local music on one of the longest running programs airing on 89.3 WHFR-FM. She became a member of the WHFR Staff in 1999 and began producing the The Circle Within, which aired Midnight until 2am (2000~2013), bringing many independent labels and local Artists with a heavy rockin' Bluesrock rotation to the late-night Tuesday radio station airwaves and internet broadcast.
She presently holds the voluntary WHFR-FM position of Blues Music Director by reviewing new music, charting monthly reports of "Top Ten Blues" to"Living Blues Magazine" and "The Detroit Blues Society" newsletter. She also maintains the WHFR-FM Facebook Social Media accounts.
You can hear the Highway 61 broadcast airing each Friday, at 2pm until 6pm, with the best in new releases and local Blues music "Making~Waves" on WHFR-FM 89.3, along with a weekly list of Blues Artists events and performances, "Keeping the Blues Alive" in Michigan.
As always, Thank You for listening and for your support!
https://www.facebook.com/whfrradio
~DJ~KittyLuv;)
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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WHFR’s Physical Plant Overview
In 2018, Bob Burnham, WHFR’s Production Manager and Chief Engineer brought Radio Vault to WHFR. He also saw a lot of things behind the scenes that needed technical improvement. He began assisting Allen Mazurek, our former teacher and Technical Advisor at the time, before Bob officially became part of the management staff. Since that time, WHFR has made drastic improvements in all areas of our facility.
Those improvements include a new FM antenna, transmitter, audio processor and related equipment. A completely new rack was built for this equipment. This equipment added as much as 10 miles to our FM listening range in all directions and a sound that is comparable to and in some cases exceeds any Detroit area station. Those messages we send you now on your car radio are also but a tiny part of those renovations. We also upgraded our Streaming equipment and just about every piece of equipment the audio travels through from our studios to your ear. Major upgrades to studio computer equipment were also completed as well as new microphones, and studio re-wiring, all of which is on-going.
The costs to accomplish these things have been and continue to be enormous and we’re not done yet! These renovations so far would not have been possible at all without you, our Loyal Listener, and we thank you for your past support. There are, however, even more improvements on the horizon! Your support will help us to continue to grow, Making Even Bigger Waves while enhancing our programming and providing our DJs with the best tools to do so.
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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Judy Banker, Roger Ponder, and Gary Browe Visit “Theme Attic” for Radiothon!!!
Radiothon is always special on Theme Attic, a quirky weekly Wednesday show hosted by DJ Phil Maq! This week it will start earlier and run 11AM-4PM EDT!!! The show features music based on subjects as well as countdowns and interviews.
Songwriter/Singers are often on display, and this year for Radiothon is no exception! Last year, local musicians Judy Banker and Roger Ponder played songs and discussed their music careers with Phil. In an effort to one up himself, Singer/Songwriter, Gary Browe, has been added to Theme Attic along with Judy and Roger! That's a true three-fer! Or something like that!
Join all four on Wednesday, April 9th, from 11AM-4PM as they all prove their support to the station and humbly ask for listener support in return!
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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WHFR PRESENTS: The Music Of John Coltrane
In a special RADIOTHON edition of WHFR PRESENTS, a midweek feature on the greatest saxophonist to ever grace our planet, JOHN COLTRANE. He revolutionized the tenor and soprano saxophone and brought a spirit to the music that has never been matched.
Tune in to this special program as WHFR RADIO continues its annual fundraiser on TUESDAY, APRIL 8, from 1:00-4:00 pm EDT on 89.3fm locally (Dearborn) and whfr.fm streaming worldwide.
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WHFR PRESENTS airs every Sunday beginning (usually) at 4:00 pm with a rotating cast of WHFR DJs, taking in-depth looks into the many genres of music that WHFR has to offer. Tune in at 89.3 on the FM dial in Dearborn/Detroit and surrounding communities, or listen anywhere via our online streamer.
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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Celebrate 40 Years of WHFR with Limited Edition Posters & T-Shirts
WHFR is turning 40 - and we’re celebrating in style. To honor four decades of independent broadcasting, we’re releasing special edition WHFR 40th birthday posters and t-shirts unlike anything we’ve done before.
We dug deep into our archives to find every t-shirt design we’ve ever made - yes, every single one! These designs will come together in a bold, creative collage that captures the spirit and evolution of WHFR through the years.
From our early days of “Saving Detroit’s Airwaves” to today’s continued mission of “Making Waves,” this is a must-have collector’s item for every fan and supporter.
Both the t-shirts and the frameable posters will be limited edition pledge incentives available during our Radiothon pledge drive. They’ll officially debut later this year - but you can secure yours early by pledging this week!
Support the station you love and own a piece of WHFR history.
Make your pledge now - and help us keep making waves for 40 more years!
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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WHFR PRESENTS Radiothon Special: Celebrating Our 40th Year
As WHFR Radio continues into its 40th year of broadcasting, we take a moment to reflect upon the many moments of creative programming, the changes and additions in format and the numerous technological advancements that have kept the station relevant in today's world. It's been a long and fulfilling journey from the beginnings in 1985 to the present day.
The WHFR Radiothon, an annual fundraiser for the station, begins on Sunday, April 6, at 10:00 am with Terence Tyson's always eclectic jazz show, Play it By Ear. Later in the day, at 4:00pm, the weekly feature WHFR PRESENTS will follow with a mix of some of the recorded moments in our history with the voices of deejays from our past 40 years coupled with an array of great jazz recordings from the year 1985. From the sounds of bebop to the futuristic sounds of the avant-garde, 1985 was a great year for jazz music.
WHFR PRESENTS is a weekly feature program hosted by a rotating cast of deejays presenting a unique theme to the airwaves each week from 4:00-7:00pm. Please join us this Sunday and consider making a donation to our annual Radiothon pledge drive.
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WHFR PRESENTS airs every Sunday beginning (usually) at 4:00 pm with a rotating cast of WHFR DJs, taking in-depth looks into the many genres of music that WHFR has to offer. Tune in at 89.3 on the FM dial in Dearborn/Detroit and surrounding communities, or listen anywhere via our online streamer.
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Three Easy Ways to Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation to WHFR Radiothon
- Online: You can donate securely online right here.
- Phone: The on-air portion of Radiothon 2025 is April 6-12 when our live DJs will be asking you to call in at (313) 845-9676 to make your tax-deductible donation via credit card or to request that a self-addressed envelope (SASE) be sent to you.
- Mail: Download, fill out, and mail in the pledge form from the WHFR-FM website with your contribution at any time.
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