Longtime WDET host and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson announced Wednesday that he’s leaving the public radio station because of what he described as “disinvestment” in his daily show on 101.9 FM.
Henderson, who hosts the morning show “Created Equal,” the station’s most popular local program, will end his 10-year run at WDET on Friday.
During recent negotiations, Henderson said, the station proposed airing the show just once a week, without assigning any full-time staff.
“The station faces severe financial difficulties and must make difficult decisions about which programming to keep, and support,” Henderson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “But the proposed cuts to Created Equal represent, in my judgment, an unsustainable withdrawal of commitment to the show … and its mission.”
Henderson added, “Budgets are moral documents - statements of our values and priorities, reflections of the things we hold dear and those we see as expendable. WDET has chosen not to give Created Equal what it needs to thrive.”
“Created Equal,” which aired from 9-10 a.m. Monday through Friday, examined the ideals of opportunity and the realities of inequality in Detroit and featured experts to discuss a variety of topics, from racial disparities to income gaps.
The show was insightful and often raised painful questions surrounding inequality in a city that is predominantly Black.
Prior to “Created Equal,” which launched earlier this year, Henderson hosted the daily morning show “Detroit Today,” which offered fresh perspectives on politics, community leaders, and the news and issues shaping Detroit.
“My goal on radio was always to build a community space where critical issues could be explored, discussed and debated, in civil and constructive ways,” Henderson, a Detroit native, said. “We did that - against many odds on a media landscape that is increasingly harsh and reductionist.”
Henderson’s reputation for hosting fact-driven, fair, and engaging discussions has established him as a prominent voice in the Detroit community.
A graduate of University of Detroit High School and the University of Michigan, Henderson previously worked as managing director of opinion and commentary at the Detroit Free Press, where he earned the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his reporting on Detroit’s financial crisis. In December 2017, he was dismissed from the Free Press following an internal investigation that revealed inappropriate conduct toward female colleagues, though Henderson downplayed the allegations.
Henderson also worked for the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, and the Lexington Herald-Leader and covered the Supreme Court for Knight Ridder’s Washington Bureau.
Henderson said he will now concentrate on other ventures, including BridgeDetroit, the nonprofit news and engagement platform he founded, and “American Black Journal,” the weekly Detroit PBS show he hosts.
He also collaborates with Detroit News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley on the Great Lakes Civility Project. The pair’s coauthored book will be published by Wayne State University in spring 2025.
In January, WDET announced its plans to revamp its schedule and programming by adding locally hosted music shows.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the station, which is located in Midtown.
Some news:
— Stephen Henderson (@SHDetroit) November 20, 2024
At the end of this week, I’ve decided to leave WDET, after 10 years as host of the station’s morning public affairs show - formerly Detroit Today, now Created Equal, a daily examination of the tensions between inequality and opportunity in America, with a focus on how… pic.twitter.com/fytnBCAJpT
