Michigan Radio, the state's largest NPR news outlet, is rebranding and changing its name to Michigan Public. The rebrand reflects the station’s goal of meeting people where they are: on the radio, online, on mobile devices, on-demand, and in-person at events. This name change is effective Wednesday, January 10, 2024.
“As we continue in our efforts to grow our audience and be even more relevant in the digital news environment, we can’t just maintain the status quo,” said Executive Director Wendy Turner. “Although broadcast radio remains an essential part of our service, the biggest opportunities to grow and diversify our audience are on digital platforms, and our branding will reflect that.”
The new name concisely captures two of the defining traits of the organization. First, as a Michigan based news provider, focused on being a catalyst for clear information, meaningful storytelling and human connection to help facilitate the rich conversation of our state. And also as a non-commercial, public media news service. The content Michigan Public provides is free and available to everyone, and not hidden behind a paywall.
In addition to the name change, the organization is introducing a new logo. The flowing lines of the logo represent the fluidity of thought, conversation, and sound. The logo’s gradient of four colors; light green, dark green, blue and purple, represent the four brand pillars of Michigan Public: Information, Connection, Inspiration and Participation.
Although the name and logo is changing, the station’s on-air programming will remain the same. "All of the news & information and favorite shows from NPR and our own news staff will still be there, like Morning Edition, Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, and Stateside," said Turner. “Our listeners will continue to hear all of the things that they have come to rely on, and our dedication to delivering exceptional news coverage and engaging programming remains the same.”
Licensed to the University of Michigan, the station has served audiences across Michigan for over 75 years. Originally known simply as WUOM, the call letters of the original station based in Ann Arbor, the station adopted the Michigan Radio name in 1989 to better reflect its large coverage across southern Michigan.
In addition to over-the-air broadcasts on five transmitters serving Ann Arbor/Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing and Port Huron, listeners can tune into Michigan Public through live streaming on the station’s website as well as through the station’s smartphone app and podcasts. This allows younger listeners that don't own radio devices to be a part of its audience while also increasing the station's reach far beyond its broadcast radio signal.
As part of our rebranding announcement, Wendy Turner, General Manager and Executive Director, spoke with Stateside's April Baer about the meaning behind the change. You can listen to that interview in the audio file at the top of this page.
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