Station History

90.3-FM WUTK is an educational non-profit radio station licensed to the board of trustees of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. When WUTK began broadcasting in 1982, it was licensed to broadcast at 128 watts. Today it is licensed to broadcast at 1000 watts and covers about a 30-mile radius of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus. WUTK also streams its signal, using Real Player software, on the World Wide Web at www.wutkradio.com.

WUTK was first known as Album 90, playing a mix or alternative rock and jazz. WUTK paved the way for many now popular acts such as REM, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and The Cure. In the late 1980s, WUTK began using the New Rock 90 moniker and continued to air new music first in Knoxville. At this point in its history, WUTK continued to be on the cutting edge by playing music from several local artists who soon obtained major record contracts such as The Judy Bats and Superdrag. The station even showed up regularly in The Birch radio ratings (number 5 and number 6 in the Knoxville market) providing Knoxville with Punk, Rock-A-Billy, Electronic / Techno, Americana, Rap, and deep rock tracks from more mainstream artists like The Rolling Stones. WUTK can proudly say that it was the first station in Knoxville to play music from bands such as U2, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Crowes, and even Metallica, years before any mainstream stations would dare risk airing this music.