WUTC
Broadcast areaChattanooga, Tennessee
Frequency88.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Programming
FormatPublic radio
AffiliationsNPR
Public Radio Exchange
American Public Media
Ownership
OwnerUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga
History
First air date
1979
Call sign meaning
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID69325
ClassC1
ERP30,000 watts
HAAT271 meters (889 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewutc.org

WUTC (88.1 FM) is a public radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States - serving Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.

Since going on the air in 1979, it has been owned and operated by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and broadcasts from UTC campus, moving from its longtime location in Cadek Hall to the Chattanooga State Office Building in 2022. The station is a member of National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media - and broadcasts a variety of modern music, including alternative, rock and related genres.

WUTC's broadcast radius covers approximately 100+ miles across four states - Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama - except to the west, being limited by Monteagle Mountain.

Until 1988, WUTC rebroadcast the morning programming of WUOT-FM in Knoxville - and then, the station obtained its own satellite downlink and was able to obtain nationally syndicated programming on its own. In October 1995, WUTC became the exclusive home in the Chattanooga market for several NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Car Talk and Weekend Edition - when the nearby WSMC-FM dropped them due to conflicts with religious programming on its schedule .

Today, WUTC maintains a mix of syndicated programming and local music shows in its weekday schedule, with a focus on syndicated shows almost exclusively on weekends. In July 2002, WUTC began streaming its broadcast online. In May 2006, it became the first Chattanooga radio station (public or commercial) to simulcast its broadcast in HD Radio format.

In March 2017, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fired WUTC reporter Jacqui Helbert, who interviewed state politicians about the transgender bathroom bill, after they suggested they did not know she was a journalist even though she was reportedly wearing headphones and a microphone with the WUTC logo. The dismissal came after state legislators complained to university officials. Station and university officials said that Helbert breached journalistic ethics by not identifying herself as a journalist or giving the legislators a chance to comment before the story aired. However, critics claimed station and university officials overreacted out of fear that the legislature would reduce their funding.[2][3][4][5]

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WUTC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Rainwater, Kendi A. (March 24, 2017). "UTC fires reporter over bathroom bill reporting after local lawmaker complaints". Times Free Press. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  3. ↑ Gervin, Cari Wade (March 25, 2017). "Did Legislators Get a Public Radio Reporter Fired?". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Tate, Emily (March 27, 2017). "Lawmakers Complain, Tennessee Chattanooga Fires Reporter". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ Huckabee, Charles (March 26, 2017). "U. of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fires Reporter After Lawmakers Complain". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved March 27, 2017.

35°12′25″N 85°16′52″W / 35.207°N 85.281°W / 35.207; -85.281

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