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WUOT (91.9 FM) is a
non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that is not carried out in the interest of Profit (economics), profit. The opposite is Commerce, commercial, something that primarily serves profit interests and is focused on bu ...
, listener-supported,
public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. It is owned by the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
, and it airs a mix of news,
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. It is a
charter member A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...
of
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
(NPR). The studios and offices are on Circle Park Drive in Knoxville. WUOT is a Class C station. It has an
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...
(ERP) of 80,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s. (100,000 watts is usually the maximum.) The
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
is in
Sharp's Ridge Sharp's Ridge is a steep ridge in Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, north of the city's downtown. A area of the ridge is maintained as Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, a city park dedicated to the honor of the area's war veterans. The ri ...
Memorial Park, off Interstate 640 in Knoxville. With that power and antenna height, WUOT can be heard around
Eastern Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counti ...
and reaches into
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
.


Programming

WUOT airs news and information programming during morning and afternoon
drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
on weekdays. It carries
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
programs including ''
Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...
,
Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...
'' and ''
All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
''. In middays and at night, it plays
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
. On Friday evenings, the music switches to
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and on Saturday evenings, it carries ''
Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and curr ...
'' and '' The Thistle and Shamrock''. Sunday evenings feature '' Pipedreams'' and ''
Hearts of Space ''Hearts of Space'' is an American weekly syndicated public radio show featuring music of a contemplative nature"When you listen to space and ambient music you are connecting with a tradition of contemplative sound experience whose roots are an ...
''. During the day on Saturday and Sunday, there are specialty public radio shows, including ''
Planet Money ''Planet Money'' is an American podcast and blog produced by NPR. Using "creative and entertaining" dialogue and narrative, ''Planet Money'' claims to be "The Economy Explained". History The podcast was created by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davi ...
, Zorba Paster on Your Health,
The Splendid Table ''The Splendid Table'' is a weekly radio program about food hosted by Francis Lam. The program began in 1997 on Minnesota Public Radio, and was originally hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper until her retirement in 2017. It is produced and distribu ...
,
This American Life ''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
,
Hidden Brain ''Hidden Brain'' is a science podcast hosted by Shankar Vedantam. Background The show originally began as a segment of '' NPRs ''Morning Edition''. The first episode of the podcast focused on a concept called "switchtracking". Vedantam fou ...
'' and '' Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me''.


History


Preparation

On June 2, 1949, the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
filed paperwork with the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC). It was seeking a
construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...
to build a new noncommercial FM radio station in Knoxville. ( Guide to reading History Cards) The idea to bring the university a radio station had been a plank of future
U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
Howard Baker Howard Henry Baker Jr. (November 15, 1925 June 26, 2014) was an American politician, diplomat and photographer who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1967 to 1985. During his tenure, he rose to the rank of Senate Minority Le ...
's campaign platform for student body president at UTK. The FCC approved the application a month later. The university announced that it would be building studios on the ground floor of Ayres Hall and had bought equipment from
defunct Defunct may refer to: * Defunct (video game), ''Defunct'' (video game), 2014 * Zombie process or defunct process, in Unix-like operating systems See also

* * :Former entities * End-of-life product * Obsolescence {{Disambiguation ...
radio station WKPB. WKPB had been a commercial station on 93.3 FM owned by '' The Knoxville Journal'' that broadcast from October 15, 1947 until April 15, 1949. The ''Knoxville Journal'', citing the uncertainty created by the advent of television, shut down the radio station and sold its equipment to the university and its records to the general public. For a total of $16,000, the university had the equipment it needed to set up its own radio station.


WUOT sign-on

WUOT
signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
the air on . It was one of Eastern Tennessee's earliest FM stations. The first regular programming schedule included broadcasts for five and a half hours a day, and it boasted two full-time staff members. WUOT broadcast informational programs, classical music, and reports of student activities. Apart from the two staffers, it was operated by students. The radio station's facilities also provided a home for the university's offering of 25 radio programs, which were heard in 1950 on 17 commercial radio stations in Tennessee. By 1956, the circulation of the university's productions had increased to 65 stations.


Higher power

Originally broadcasting with 3,500 watts, the station could only be heard in and near Knoxville. WUOT got approval to increase power to 70,500 watts in 1955. The station began operating from its new facilities on November 29. This was made possible when station WROL gave the university a higher antenna and a 10,000-watt transmitter worth $50,000. WUOT's transmitter facility was relocated to a parcel of university-owned land near the John Tarleton Institute. WROL had operated an FM station until 1951. A large crane was necessary to extend the tower a further . The increase brought WUOT to listeners in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
,
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, and as far away as
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...
, and
Blue Ridge, Georgia Blue Ridge is a city in Fannin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,253. The city is the county seat of Fannin County and the largest city in the county. History Prior t ...
. The WUOT transmitter was relocated to
Sharp's Ridge Sharp's Ridge is a steep ridge in Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, north of the city's downtown. A area of the ridge is maintained as Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, a city park dedicated to the honor of the area's war veterans. The ri ...
in 1961. In 1968, the station boosted its power to the maximum 100,000 watts and began
FM stereo FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound ...
broadcasts. In 1971, the station added additional hours of jazz music to its schedule in response to requests from inmates at the
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, last named Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, (or, unofficially, ''Brushy'') is an entertainment venue in the community of Petros, Tennessee, Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee, owned by Chattanooga ...
.


New studios

Discussions began to build a dedicated communications building in the mid-1960s. The station moved into its new Circle Park home in 1969. The facility offered WUOT more room, and newer equipment, than it had in Ayres Hall. WUOT was a
charter member A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...
of
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
and carried the first broadcast of ''
All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'' in 1971. With NPR programming, WUOT replaced its light classical "dinner hour" music, which prompted the ire of some listeners. The station also began adding local news and public affairs programming in the mid-1970s. But this area of the station came in fits and starts until the mid-1990s, when the station significantly expanded its news operation. WUOT remained a fine arts-oriented station through the decades. But many UT students desired a station for
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
music that catered more to their tastes. They would get one when 90.3 WUTK-FM went on the air in the early 1980s. In one case, the presence of a classical music outlet in Knoxville was reassuring. When future interim UT president Jan Simek moved from California to take a faculty position in Knoxville in 1984, his mother worried that he might not be able to listen to "real" music. When she visited him in Knoxville and learned of WUOT, her fears were assuaged, and she ended up moving to Knoxville herself. WUOT's reach expanded when the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is part of the University of Tennessee System. History UTC was founde ...
signed on its own FM station.
WUTC WUTC (88.1 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serving the Chattanooga metropolitan area and the Tennessee Valley. It is owned and operated by the University of Tennessee at Chattanoog ...
88.1 debuted in 1980. In order to get on air quickly, the new Chattanooga station
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
WUOT's programming for a while. The UTC station later ended its rebroadcast of WUOT when it was able to air its own programming.


TruckBeat and classical music

In 2017, the station partnered with an independent producer to create "TruckBeat", a truck that traveled around Eastern Tennessee to areas not typically covered by public radio. One of the stories it reported was on the impact of the opioid epidemic on rural communities. The truck itself was a former
WBIR-TV WBIR-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Bill Williams Avenue in Knoxville's Belle Morris section, and its transmitter is lo ...
live truck that the station had purchased to cover the
1982 World's Fair The 1982 World's Fair, officially known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition (KIEE) and simply as Energy Expo '82 and Expo '82, was an international exposition held in Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Focu ...
. TruckBeat was honored by the
Online News Association The Online News Association (ONA), founded in 1999, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of digital journalists headquartered in Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., United States. The founding members first convened in December 1999 in Chicago. ...
for topical reporting among small newsrooms. While many public radio stations have switched to a format of mostly news, talk and information, WUOT remains true to its roots in music. More than half the weekday schedule is classical music or jazz. Listeners with receivers that can pick up
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
channels, WUOT's
digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
has additional public radio news shows.


HD Radio

WUOT broadcasts in the
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
digital standard. That technology allows WUOT to carry a second subchannel of programming. WUOT-HD2 was launched in 2009 with additional public radio talk programs that the main channel didn't carry. News shows heard on WUOT-HD2 include ''
Marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...
, 1A, Here and Now,
On Point ''On Point'' is a radio show produced by WBUR-FM in Boston, Massachusetts, and syndicated by American Public Media (APM). The show addresses a wide range of issues from news, politics, arts and culture, health, technology, environmental, and bu ...
'' and ''
The World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...
''. Several specialty music shows are heard too. They include '' World Cafe,
Performance Today ''Performance Today'' is a classical music radio program, first aired in 1987 and hosted since 2000 by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations. ...
'' and '' Echoes''.


References


External links

* {{Authority control WUOT UOT 1949 establishments in Tennessee Radio stations established in 1949