Station History
In 2024, WUOT celebrated its 75th anniversary. On October 27, 1949, broadcasting from the basement of Ayres Hall at the University of Tennessee, WUOT became the first noncommercial educational station in Tennessee. The 3,000-watt station aired five hours of classical music and eclectic educational programming Monday through Friday, had a UT-provided budget of $14K and had two full-time employees: General Manager Kenneth Wright and Program Director Jack Westbrook. As UT Student Government Association president, former Senator Howard H. Baker Jr. was instrumental in getting UT to start the station.
Listen to these features on WUOT's amazing history:
Pioneers and Engineers: The WUOT Story