A new music and culture show debuted at noon Wednesday on WDET 101.9 FM, heralding the Detroit public radio station's attempt to build a vibrant listenership — and grow new revenue — from what has been a moribund part of the day.

"CultureShift" airs live noon-3 p.m. weekdays and is hosted by Travis Wright and Amanda LeClaire. The show will be built around discussion of local music, arts, food and events along with prerecorded "sound-rich stories." The show will also tap WDET's music archive and other shows such as the station's popular weekend program "Ann Delisi's Essential Music."

The station is billing the new show as a culture magazine for radio, somewhat akin to the syndicated popular national programs "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." It also describes the program as "soundtrack to discovering Detroit," according to a statement Wednesday announcing "CultureShift."

The show re-airs midnight to 3 a.m.

In addition to the live radio broadcast, WDET will make the show available as a podcast, and use social media as a listener interaction tool to foster discussion. The show will be live-streamed on Facebook Live, too.

Wright, 34, has been with WDET since 2011, and LeClaire, 32, rejoined the station this week after working for WDET from 2006 to 2011. Alex Trajano is the show's executive producer.

"This program is a new place for not only music, but an opportunity to dig in to how arts and culture influences our daily life. It's really going to be interesting to see how the community will help the show evolve over time," LeClaire said in a statement

WDET General Manager Michelle Srbinovich said the station over the past year has done research, including a listener survey and focus groups, to see what would fit best in that part of the schedule — when listeners are still driving from lunch or at their desk tuned in. What they learned fueled creation of "CultureShift".

"We really felt culture was the place we could make a bigger play," Srbinovich told Crain's in a conversation Tuesday.

The show will rely more heavily on music initially as it matures, she said, with more pre-recorded "evergreen" curiosity pieces that are not time sensitive being added over time. Live discussion and interaction about Detroit music and local topics and events will be the show's core.

"Detroit deserves daily local radio programming that reflects who we are outside of politics and sports, all the other fun stuff that defines us culturally. Musically, we know Detroiters hold a deep appreciation for a number of genres and 'CultureShift' will weave them all together in a way that respects their intelligence," Wright said in a statement.

During the day, "CultureShift" replaces syndicated programs "The Takeaway" and "Q with Shad." Other storytelling and entertainment programming in the 1-2 p.m. slot, known to WDET listeners as "The Late Lunch," will be moved to elsewhere in the schedule. The new show also replaces Wright's hourlong Friday program "Culture City" from which "CultureShift" takes its origin.

WDET said it also has added investigative journalism show "Reveal" and music review program "Sound Opinions" in the 10 p.m.-midnight block.

On the business side, Srbinovich noted that live shows are more expensive than syndicated content, so the station will seek to create new revenue streams around "CultureShift." To monetize the show, WDET is in talks with national concert promoters including AEG Live and Live Nation, and local cultural institutions including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Institute of Arts, she said. Royal Oak-based Axle Brewing is an initial sponsor.

WDET averages about 160,000 listeners a week (22nd in the market, according to Nielsen Audio data for June), and the budget for the station and its 34 full-time employees this fiscal year is $3.9 million.

The station will use focus groups and other audience feedback mechanisms, such as desktop streaming data, over the next six months to gauge the new show's success and guide any changes, Srbinovich said.

"If we don't take any risks, I don't see what the future is for public broadcasting," she said.

WDET sustained a period of criticism in 2005 when a former general manager opted to drop music in favor of a news-talk format with more syndicated content. The creation of "CultureShift" is another step away from that era, but doesn't represent a swing away from the beloved public radio fixtures, Srbinovich said.

"We're absolutely not moving away from national syndicated programming that's high quality," she said.

Wayne State University holds the station's license and provides it free space on campus.