Live on WDET: Craig Brown Band
The Craig Brown Band is a key piece of Detroit’s music scene. With alt-country rock ‘n roll guitars and a...
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" 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.
Miguel Cabrera steps up to bat one last time
Every time Miguel Cabrera stepped up to bat, the crowd got loud. Miggy's own kids announced him for his first...
Arabic music is having a cultural moment thanks to TikTok
The way we’re discovering new music is changing. Traditional channels like radio have been taken over by social media apps...
‘Get Together’ puts 150 Detroit-based artists on display in a single gallery
Over 150 Detroit-based artists in a single gallery. That’s the ambitious scope of “Get Together,” the massive group show now...
Mario Moore brings Black representation to the cultural canon
The College for Creative Studies launched their 2023 Woodward Lecture Series earlier this month. Hundreds of incredible artists and doers...
Detroit Opera showcases unique talents with ‘Xerxes’
Under the leadership of Yuval Sharon, Detroit Opera has put on some groundbreaking productions, and another one opens this weekend....
‘The Peculiar Patriot’ explores love and the criminal justice system at Detroit Public Theatre
One of the best theatre companies in the city of Detroit is Detroit Public Theatre. Their new location in the...
Detroiters have overcome too much to be reduced to a trend
Oftentimes, we’ll see people wearing the “Detroit hustles harder” t-shirt when they travel, but then claiming their suburb when they’re...
Detroit musician and composer Marcus Elliot talks turning grief into a work of art
Last year, saxophonist and composer Marcus Elliot premiered a new composition “Fill The Room With Light.” A collection of musicians...
Pepper Spray Project provides free resources to keep Detroiters safe
Did you know that if you walk into The Painted Lady lounge in Hamtramck or PizzaPlex in southwest Detroit and...
Is Michigan prepared to be a climate refuge?
In a not-so-distant future, it’s possible that places like Houston, Texas could have summers that feel more like Pakistan. It’s...
Investigating Christmas carol crimes
We’ve all heard the advice to be extra vigilant around the holidays for scams and criminals. But what if the...