After a long and celebrated career in Detroit radio, WDET-FM weekend host Jay Butler retired on August 2, 2026. Butler had been hosting Jay’s Place, a thoughtful blend of blues, soul, and R&B. His unmistakable voice, passion for music, and genuine connection with listeners have made Jay’s Place one of Detroit Public Radio’s most beloved programs.
The Spot Grand Rapids 17 and FOX 17 WXMI-TV, owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company will become the new television home of the Detroit Pistons in Grand Rapids, beginning with the 2026‑27 NBA season.
The MAB has learned that longtime West Michigan Christian radio owner Les Lanser passed away July 30th at the age of 91. Lanser, along with his family, own WPNW-AM/WJQK-FM in Zeeland.
Last Friday (7/31), WEMU-FM (Ypsilanti) General Manager Molly Motherwell announced that longtime music host, Jeremy Baldwin, has accepted the position of Senior Music Announcer, taking over for Michael Jewett who retired at the end of June.
Russell spent most of his career in radio here in Michigan, working at stations such as WKPK-FM (Gaylord), WFCX/WFDX-FM (Traverse City), WFGR-FM (Grand Rapids), WKHM-FM (Jackson), WUPS-FM (Houghton Lake) and WHMI-FM (Howell). He also held positions in his long career in Rapid City, South Dakota.
This past Monday (8/3), the Radio Hall of Fame announced the selection of nine 2026 Legends inductees. These individuals have received induction by the determination of the Radio Hall of Fame 2026 Nominating Committee, who annually meet to determine inductees who contributed with greatness to the radio industry and have since passed away.
In early July, we wrote about the FCC’s decision to require that all broadcasters take measures to secure their EAS operations – and in the process secure their entire program chain – to make sure that malicious actors can’t hack into their systems and send false alerts. The FCC today published in the Federal Register the order making those changes, which will require broadcasters to meet these security requirements in 60 days – by September 29.
The finalists in various categories include WJR-AM (Detroit), WIOG-FM (Saginaw) and WDZZ-FM (Flint). In addition, WLEN-FM (Adrian) President, CEO and General Manager Julie Koehn received a nomination in the Legendary Radio Manager of the Year category.
Nguyen joins WXYZ and The Spot Detroit 20 from FOX 32 Chicago, where she served as Sports Anchor and Reporter. During her time there, Nguyen covered Chicago’s biggest sporting events including the MLB All-Star Game, the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams, the Cubs’ postseason, and iconic local teams including the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox.
Bill Gallagher, a beloved former reporter for WJBK-TV (Detroit) who spent decades covering news for the station, has died. Gallagher, 79, had been dealing with “a number of health issues,” the station reported Friday, July 24, and had been living at home in Lewiston, New York, under hospice care.