NPR member station WUOT 91.9 FM, licensed to the University of Tennessee, won “Best Overall” in the Non-Commercial Division of the 2012 Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters awards earlier this month in Nashville.
WUOT also received first-place awards for public affairs, continuing coverage, and talk show.
Earlier this year, the station received three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the Radio-Television Digital News Association. The station was recognized in the continuing coverage, feature reporting, and news documentary categories.
WUOT also swept the general reporting and feature reporting categories at the annual Golden Press Card awards held by the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists.
“It’s an honor to receive this kind of recognition from our peers,” Director of News Content Matt Shafer Powell said. “These awards are a testament to a lot of work, careful attention to detail, and a commitment to covering East Tennessee in a way that informs and educates our listeners.”
“At a time when many news departments are downsizing, we’ve been able to expand,” WUOT Director Regina Dean said. “I’m extremely proud of what our news department has been able to accomplish over the past year. The work they’ve done is due in large part to the incredible support of our listeners. They make what we do possible.”
In addition to the “Best Overall” award from the Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters, WUOT won first-place awards for the following stories and programs. Audio from the award-winning stories is available on WUOT’s website.
Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters Awards
- Best Overall: WUOT (Matt Shafer Powell, Chrissy Keuper, Brandon Hollingsworth, Christine Jessel)
- Best Radio Talk Show: “Dialogue” (Matt Shafer Powell, Chrissy Keuper, Brandon Hollingsworth, Greg Hill)
- Best Enterprise: “Freedom Schools” (Christine Jessel)
- Best Public Affairs: “A Key to My Room: The Women of the YWCA” (Matt Shafer Powell, Leslie Snow)
Edward R. Murrow Awards
- Feature Story: “When Science and Music Collide” (Matt Shafer Powell)
- Continuing Coverage: “Collaborative Conferencing” (Christine Jessel)
- Documentary: “A Key to My Room: The Women of the YWCA” (Matt Shafer Powell, Leslie Snow)
Golden Press Card Awards
- General Reporting: “Hydraulic Fracturing on the Cumberland Plateau” (Brandon Hollingsworth)
- Feature Reporting: “I Don’t Want to Remember, I Don’t Want to Forget” (Matt Shafer Powell)
- Documentary/Public Affairs Programming: “A Key to My Room: The Women of the YWCA” (Matt Shafer Powell, Leslie Snow)
- Use of Sound: “Sound Mapping” (Chrissy Keuper)
WUOT began focusing on local news in November 2002. The station’s regional coverage includes daily newscasts, as well as interviews and long-form feature stories focused on the people and issues that affect East Tennessee.
WUOT’s primary format is classical and jazz music, news, and public affairs. The station serves listeners throughout East Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. The station broadcasts twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and streams on the web at wuot.org. WUOT’s second audio channel, WUOT-2, is available on HD Radio™, Internet radio, and on the web.
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C O N T A C T :
Regina Dean, (865-974-5375, regdean@utk.edu)
Matt Shafer Powell (865-974-9354, mpowell7@utk.edu)