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WUOT
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University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0322
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Telling Public Radio's Story

Telling Public Radio’s Story FY 2022
1. Describe your overall goals and approach to address identified community issues, needs, and interests through your station’s vital local services, such as multiplatform long and short-form content, digital and in-person engagement, education services, community information, partnership support, and other activities, and audiences you reached or new audiences you engaged.

For 73 years, WUOT has provided a quality public radio service which informs, enlightens and enhances its community. During fiscal year 2022, the WUOT news department continued to report on the long-lasting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, from local and regional health care to the state’s use of pandemic relief funds to expand needs services and utilities such as broadband. The news department reported on a number of cultural issues, including in its quarterly series Spirit Guide, with looks at gender studies and religion. WUOT produced a podcast series on the 40th anniversary of the 1982 World’s Fair, When the World Came to Knoxville. It featured interviews with those that took part in the World’s Fair, as well as many who attended it, delved into how the fair impacted the area temporarily and permanently, and included archival audio of local news stories, recordings and interviews.

2. Describe key initiatives and the variety of partners with whom you collaborated, including other public media outlets, community nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, the business community, teachers and parents, etc. This will illustrate the many ways you’re connected across the community and engaged with other important organizations in the area.

WUOT collaborates and partners with non-profits throughout its listening area, including co-producing "Health Connections" with the University of Tennessee College of Nursing. The broadcast of this program airs locally, bi-weekly, during NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, with links to each program posted to the WUOT website and WUOT mobile app. This series delves into topics that are trending in the East Tennessee region, such as opioid use. The Knoxville area has been noted by law enforcement as a target of drug traffickers from the Detroit, Michigan area. Other topics during Fiscal Year 2022 included Hispanic Health, the Annual Legislate Update (on what health issues would be addressed by the state legislature), and Public Health in Peril (a look at the health care system before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic).

3. What impact did your key initiatives and partnerships have in your community? Describe any known measurable impact, such as increased awareness, learning or understanding about particular issues. Describe indicators of success, such as connecting people to needed resources or strengthening conversational ties across diverse neighborhoods. Did a partner see an increase in requests for related resources? Please include direct feedback from a partner(s) or from a person(s) served.

WUOT's Media Sponsorship program is a station outreach initiative which helps area non-profits tell the community about their missions, needs and events. The sponsorship provides free airtime to non-profits, particularly to those who have limited marketing budgets or none at all. Some of the participants in our Media Sponsorship program during FY2022 included Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee, Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, Discover Life in America, Friends of Literacy, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Knoxville Downtown Sertoma Club, Marble City Opera, Northeast Tennessee Myeloma Support Group, SPARK, UT Opera Theatre, and Young-Williams Animal Center.

4. Please describe any efforts (e.g. programming, production, engagement activities) you have made to investigate and/or meet the needs of minority and other diverse audiences (including, but not limited to, new immigrants, people for whom English is a second language and illiterate adults) during Fiscal Year 2022, and any plans you have made to meet the needs of these audiences during Fiscal Year 2023. If you regularly broadcast in a language other than English, please note the language broadcast.

WUOT partnered with a local organization Every Woman’s Right, which is part of the local non-profit, walkwithme, to broadcast a series of interviews with local area women from all walks of life. These interviews explored and capture a woman’s experience regarding abortion, adoption, parenting, childcare and the emotional, economic, educational and social impact of her decisions.

5. Please assess the impact that your CPB funding had on your ability to serve your community. What were you able to do with your grant that you wouldn't be able to do if you didn't receive it?

WUOT is a charter member of National Public radio and is the Knoxville area's only NPR station. WUOT's annual Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Community Service Grant helps the station pay its significant NPR bill each year. Federal funding helps offset the cost of network programming which enables WUOT to invest local funding into providing our community with unique, locally-produced content specifically for our local audiences, through regular airwaves and digital content streams – to reach members of our community no matter how they listen or where they live. Without CPB's annual funding, WUOT's programming would be severely impacted.