Public Radio Listeners Want Their Money Back

[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Maria Aspan]
When the public radio station in Detroit canceled some local music shows and replaced them with nationally syndicated talk and news programs, it probably expected some complaints from listeners. What it got was a lawsuit asking for their pledge money back. A group of listeners to WDET-FM in Detroit filed a class-action lawsuit against the station on Dec. 19, claiming fraud and breach of contract. The Detroit Free Press reported that seven plaintiffs filed for damages after contributing to the station's last on-air fund-raising pledge drive, which ended in October. Station managers announced the new schedule on Dec. 13. The listeners claim that they were tricked into contributing money for programs that the station already planned to cancel. "They took our money six weeks before they made the changes," said Dan Sordyl, a member of the committee for SaveDetroitRadio.com, a Web site started by disgruntled listeners after WDET's announcement. Mr. Sordyl says that he is trying to negotiate a compromise with WDET or Wayne State University, which owns the station.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/business/media/09radio.html?pagewanted=all
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