WDET is introducing two new music programs to its weekend schedule.

Beginning August 8, listeners can tune in for The Carte Blanche Show with legendary Detroit emcee Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro on Saturdays from 8-10 p.m., followed by Segues with Ralph Valdez on Sundays from 7-9 p.m.

Saturdays: The Carte Blanche Show with Phat Kat

Saturdays | 8-10 p.m.

Hosted by Detroit hip-hop veteran Ronnie Euro, better known as DJ Phat Kat, The Carte Blanche Show is a two-hour musical journey through soul, funk, R&B, hip hop and beyond, spanning the 1970s through today with a deep groove rooted in the sounds of the 1980’s.

Inspired by the groundbreaking programming of Detroit radio visionaries like Electrifying Mojo and Jeff Mills’ The Wizard, the show refuses to be boxed in by genres or playlists. Instead, it follows one guiding principle: great music.

Drawing from the soundtrack of his own life, Phat Kat blends timeless classics with current artists who are evolving the culture. The result is an unpredictable listening experience built around discovery, connection and Detroit’s tradition of fearless radio.

A pioneer of Detroit’s underground hip-hop movement, Phat Kat first rose to prominence as one half of 1st Down alongside the late producer J Dilla, becoming part of one of the city’s most influential musical partnerships. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has collaborated with artists including Slum Village, Black Milk, Dwele, Elzhi, Guilty Simpson and Obie Trice while helping define the sound that put Detroit hip-hop on the world stage.

Today, he continues to perform internationally while bringing his passion for music—and his eclectic record collection—to WDET listeners every Saturday night.

Sundays: Segues with Ralph Valdez

Sundays | 7-9 p.m.

For lifelong Detroiter Ralph Valdez, every great song leads naturally to another.

Segues explores the unexpected musical connections between artists, genres, cultures and eras, creating a listening experience that’s as surprising as it is rewarding. Whether it’s jazz flowing into electronic music, punk into Afrobeat, or soul into experimental sounds, the journey is driven by curiosity and thoughtful storytelling.

A veteran Detroit broadcaster and passionate vinyl collector, Valdez grew up listening to adventurous radio—from CKLW and WABX to CBC’s Brave New Waves, Electrifying Mojo and, of course, WDET. His new program celebrates that same spirit of exploration, proving that no sound is too unexpected and no musical path is off limits.

Valdez, who also organizes underwriting for WDET, has a long history with Detroit Public Radio, previously hosting programs including Dimension, Radio Free Earth and The Ralph Valdez Program. A graduate of Cass Technical High School and former student at Parsons School of Design in New York, he also co-founded Detroit punk pioneers The Algebra Mothers, whose recordings were later reissued by Jack White’s Third Man Records.

A weekend built around discovery

These additions continue WDET’s long tradition of championing adventurous music programming and Detroit artists.

Tune in to The Carte Blanche Show Saturdays from 8-10 p.m. and Segues Sundays from 7-9 p.m. on 101.9 WDET or stream live wherever you listen.

Record Store Day this year comes with a WDET collaboration with Third Man Records and a pretty great Detroit story. 

Back in 1999, the first live radio broadcast of The White Stripes aired on WDET. That performance has now been pressed to vinyl by Third Man Records, with a limited run available at their Midtown storefront starting at 11 a.m. this Saturday. We’ll also be broadcasting live from Third Man on Record Store Day.

A long time coming

WDET archives are surprisingly sparse, in part due to the losses the station experienced when the old studios at the top of the Maccabees Building had a destructive fire. Resource scarcity of non-commercial public media also deflected attention from archival work to the daily grind of timely programming.

So, you can imagine my surprise when one of our producers brought a burned CD to my attention just a few weeks after starting at WDET. On that blank disc scrawled with sharpie was 6 songs by the White Stripes that originally aired live on Willy Wilson’s radio program on February 5, 1999. Those six songs include “Sugar Never Tasted So Good,” “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Do,” “Jimmy the Exploder,” “Screwdriver” and “Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground.”

I knew that WDET had a proud history of recording sessions with some legendary acts —especially prior to the format changes of the 00’s that briefly abandoned the music legacy Detroit Public Radio had become famous for—but I was delighted at the quality and energy of the performance, and even more shocked that these recordings had not been shared since the original broadcast.

The audio from these live sessions is uncanny—here is a home-grown product of the burgeoning garage rock scene on the cusp of greatness, and we have this distillation of something powerful, just seething and ready to burst. 

Cass Corridor collaboration

Luckily, WDET has great neighbors and friends here in the Cass Corridor and the good folks at Third Man Records agreed this was something they could and should approach the band with. It passed the muster, and the band and label agreed to release a limited edition run to aid WDET in fundraising.

We couldn’t be happier to see this music available to fans, and to celebrate the connection between the incredible artists that make our city what it is, and the station that’s been committed to reflecting it. 

A big thanks from WDET to the White Stripes, and to Roe Peterhans, Dave Buick and the great staff at Third Man Records. And to Jack White—whose commitment to Detroit’s music culture continues to create moments like this—we’re grateful for all he’s done to help keep that legacy alive.

Jam with us at Third Man 

If you want to get your hands on this vinyl-pressed piece of Detroit’s music mythos, join us at Third Man Records on Canfield starting at 11 a.m. on Record Store Day. We’ll be broadcasting live from the store with Ann Delisi, Rob Reinhart, and Jon Moshier.

This release is available in-store only, and each customer is limited to one purchase of the record for $101.90. The net proceeds of the album will support WDET in days yet to come. This is a limited edition pressing and we know it will sell out fast, so don’t delay!

Happy record store day from the staff at WDET!