Telling Public Radio's Story
Telling Public Radio’s Story FY 2024
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.
WUOT is dedicated to investing the time and resources needed to explore critical issues in depth through compelling, thought-provoking journalism and educational initiatives. The station’s news department actively collaborates with local government, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations to identify and address community needs. WUOT partners with various local, state, and regional groups across its listening area. Our mission is to serve as a bridge that unites the community in pursuit of meaningful solutions to pressing societal challenges.
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 deepened its commitment to serving the community through key initiatives and collaborations with a diverse range of partners, including other public media outlets, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, and local businesses. These partnerships reinforced WUOT’s role as a trusted source of information, education, and community engagement.
During Hurricane Helene, WUOT played a crucial role in providing accurate, real-time updates to affected communities, particularly in rural areas with limited access to reliable news. The station worked closely with TEMA (Tennessee Emergency Management Agency), local government officials, and regional public media outlets to ensure residents had access to evacuation plans, emergency assistance, and recovery resources.
WUOT continued its commitment to hands-on journalism training by expanding its student radio project, providing college students with real-world experience in public radio.
WUOT collaborated with local nonprofits to produce in-depth investigative reports on housing insecurity, environmental sustainability, and economic challenges. These reports provided critical insights and solutions-driven journalism to inform and engage the public.
WUOT worked alongside small businesses and local arts organizations to promote cultural programming, including live music broadcasts and storytelling events that highlighted regional history and traditions. Through these collaborations, WUOT strengthened its ties across multiple sectors, ensuring the station remains a vital community resource. Whether by providing life-saving information during disasters, elevating young voices in journalism, or fostering discussions on critical local issues.
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.
Many of our community partners recognize WUOT as a key factor in boosting attendance and engagement at their events and activities. WUOT delivers timely updates on local, state, and national issues, including weather emergencies and disaster response, ensuring residents receive critical information when they need it most. Through partnerships with local organizations, WUOT helps raise awareness about important issues, promotes local events, and connects listeners to valuable resources. The station provides in-depth journalism, discussions on regional history and culture, and NPR programming that informs and enriches daily life. WUOT amplifies diverse perspectives by featuring local stories, interviews, and initiatives, ensuring that small communities have a voice in broader conversations.
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 2013, and any plans you have made to meet the needs of these audiences during Fiscal Year 2014. If you regularly broadcast in a language other than English, please note the language broadcast.
Our station is embedded in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee. In addition to us, the college is home to The Media Center, the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center, the Information Integrity Institute, amazing academic researchers, and award-winning student journalists. The Media Center, a collaborative media program comprised of professional and student news organizations, allows us to expand the number of boots on the ground by including student journalists. These students bring their unique passions and perspectives, contributing to programming that explores the needs and interests of diverse audiences.
During Hurricane Helene, WUOT played a critical role in providing accurate, real-time information to East Tennessee and Western North Carolina communities, which were vulnerable to misinformation and lacked sufficient local news coverage. As a trusted public radio station, WUOT helped counter the spread of false narratives circulating on social media—such as the widely shared claim that FEMA was confiscating donations—by delivering verified updates from emergency responders, government agencies, and on-the-ground sources.
In news deserts where reliable journalism is scarce, misinformation can easily take hold, delaying response efforts and harming the community. WUOT’s commitment to fact-based reporting ensured that listeners received timely and accurate information about evacuation routes, relief efforts, and recovery resources. Additionally, the station’s partnerships with local experts, such as university extension agents and emergency management officials, helped provide context and clarity, equipping residents with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions during the crisis.
By serving as a trusted source in a time of uncertainty, WUOT reinforced the vital role of local public radio in disaster response and community resilience.
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?
Unrestricted CPB funding plays a crucial role in supporting WUOT’s general operations, helping us meet one of our biggest challenges: funding both high-quality network and local programming that serves our community’s needs and expectations. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Community Service Grant allows WUOT to purchase network programming, freeing up local funding to invest in unique, locally produced content tailored to our audience.
Our budget is lean, with no built-in contingency, ensuring that every dollar is used efficiently. The majority of our funding goes directly toward programming, while the remainder supports essential facilities, equipment, and administrative functions that keep WUOT running. A typical annual budget is allocated as follows:
CPB funding makes up almost 8% of our total revenue, making it a vital component of our ability to serve the community. Without it, we would face difficult cuts, including program reductions or even the loss of staff positions. Simply put, CPB funding is essential to WUOT’s mission, ensuring we can continue delivering the trusted, high-quality content our listeners rely on.