Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.

Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.

Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.

His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.

What’s the Future of the Music Industry Look Like? A Former Music Exec Sounds Off

Based out of an old church in Corktown, Detroit's oldest neighborhood, Assemble Sound is a recording studio intent on providing...

A Trip Through Detroit’s Poorest Neighborhoods on the Bed & Bread Truck

WDET The Salvation Army has done a lot to help underserved communities in cities across the country, as well as right...

New Rock Doc “Rumble” Focuses On Native American Musicians

This weekend at the Detroit Film Theatre, a documentary that rocks is taking over the screen. “Rumble: The Indians Who...

Acclaimed Visual Artist Danielle Dean Joins Cranbrook

The Cranbrook Academy of Art's Photography Department is welcoming a new artist-in-residence. Danielle Dean is a critically acclaimed visual artist primarily...

Are Millennials Killing Chain Restaurants?

Over the past few months, multiple articles have been written about the decline in sales for casual restaurant chains such...

Robert Sestok’s City Sculpture Park Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary

Robert Sestok’s City Sculpture Park in Midtown is celebrating its two-year anniversary on Saturday with food, drink and live music...

Detroit Live Block Party Aims to Show Off Community Near Heidelberg Project

Detroit Live is a free block party happening Saturday at the Heidelberg Project on Detroit’s eastside. The longtime staple in...

Detroit’s AJ Fosik Returns Home for Art Show at Library Street Collective

Hailing from the Motor City but currently living in Portland, Oregon, AJ Fosik is one of the most compelling artists...

Craig Brown Band Set to Perform Free Show at Birmingham’s west elm store

On Thursday August 24th, WDET is bringing an electrified version of happy hour to downtown Birmingham’s west elm modern furniture...

Why Doesn’t the Woodward Dream Cruise Come South of 8 Mile?

It’s a simple question with a complicated answer that ranges from the history of cruising culture in metro Detroit as...

In The Groove with Actor & Comedian Marc Evan Jackson Ahead of the Detroit Improv Festival

The Detroit Improv Festival is happening this weekend with over 200 performers taking the stage. Actor and comedian Marc Evan...

Editor-In-Chief Matthew Piper Talks New Essay’d Book Dedicated to Highlighting Michigan Artists

Think of it as 30 mini-career retrospectives of Detroit and Michigan artists in 800 words or less written by local...