WMOT
Encyclopedia
WMOT is a radio station
featuring classical music
, jazz music and news and talk programming, serving the metropolitan
Nashville, Tennessee
market. It is licensed to Middle Tennessee State University
, located in nearby Murfreesboro
, Tennessee
. Its signal can be heard most clearly in the counties surrounding Nashville. It uses the branding Middle Tennessee Public Radio.
Originally started in April 1969 employing various forms of pop
and rock music
that was aimed at a student listenership, WMOT ran a full-time jazz music format between 1982 and 2009, aimed at a somewhat larger, more adult audience. By the late 2000s, WMOT was one of only a handful of U.S. public radio stations employing a jazz format full-time, without filling much of the broadcast day with news and other genres. At various times in the station's history, it has broadcast MTSU football
and basketball
games as well; WMOT presently broadcasts those athletic contests, partly because of the lack of interest from commercial stations in doing so.
In 1995, the MTSU student government body started another college radio station, WMTS-FM
, to serve the campus audience once served by WMOT. The Tennessee Board of Regents
is the body licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
to operate WMOT Radio; general administrative responsibility is vested with the President of MTSU.
In 2008, due to tougher standards, WMOT no longer qualified for an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
(CPB), primarily due to its small audience. This loss of revenue, along with appropriations cuts by the state of Tennessee, prompted MTSU officials to consider discontinuing the station in early 2009. However, in late 2009, the university decided to instead merge WMOT's operations into a consortium with the other MTSU media (such as WMTS and the student newspaper) titled the Media Convergence Center, with consequent reductions in the station's subsidy, in order to avoid closing it down.
Along with the reorganization, WMOT decided to make radical scheduling changes, notably discontinuing its exclusively jazz format in order to appeal to a wider audience in the Nashville market, which, like most metropolitan areas, only has a small number of fans of that genre. In October 2009, WMOT added news and talk programming to the morning and afternoon "drive time" slots between 5 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. from the BBC and Public Radio International
. However, after Nashville public radio outlet WPLN-FM
discontinued classical music programming during the daytime on weekdays in 2009, WMOT decided in February 2011 to fill the void by replacing jazz with classical between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., formerly the hours when WPLN broadcast that format, in order to gain listenership from disaffected classical fanciers. WMOT also brought back, after many years' absence, National Public Radio's flagship program, All Things Considered
, despite the fact that it duplicates the program's carriage by WPLN (as does the NPR hourly news updates).
The situation has become even more complicated with the fact that WPLN's parent organization, Nashville Public Radio, acquired the Vanderbilt University
student-run station WRVU
in June 2011, converting it into an all-classical format under the WFCL
callsign, while the main WPLN signal became a full-time news-and-talk outlet. This recent move suggests that WMOT's future is once again in question, as it may have to consider yet another format change to prevent duplication of programming in the Nashville market. Unfortunately, MTSU officials may decide that the station cannot compete in a drastically changed non-commercial environment, and go forward with plans to close the station and sell to another broadcaster. As of mid-2011, no plans had been announced to that effect, though.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
featuring classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, jazz music and news and talk programming, serving the metropolitan
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
market. It is licensed to Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
, located in nearby Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Its signal can be heard most clearly in the counties surrounding Nashville. It uses the branding Middle Tennessee Public Radio.
Originally started in April 1969 employing various forms of pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
that was aimed at a student listenership, WMOT ran a full-time jazz music format between 1982 and 2009, aimed at a somewhat larger, more adult audience. By the late 2000s, WMOT was one of only a handful of U.S. public radio stations employing a jazz format full-time, without filling much of the broadcast day with news and other genres. At various times in the station's history, it has broadcast MTSU football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games as well; WMOT presently broadcasts those athletic contests, partly because of the lack of interest from commercial stations in doing so.
In 1995, the MTSU student government body started another college radio station, WMTS-FM
WMTS-FM
' is a student run college radio station licensed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA. The station is currently owned by Middle Tennessee State University....
, to serve the campus audience once served by WMOT. The Tennessee Board of Regents
Tennessee Board of Regents
The Tennessee Board of Regents is one of the two systems of public higher education in Tennessee. The TBR was authorized by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly passed in 1972...
is the body licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to operate WMOT Radio; general administrative responsibility is vested with the President of MTSU.
In 2008, due to tougher standards, WMOT no longer qualified for an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
(CPB), primarily due to its small audience. This loss of revenue, along with appropriations cuts by the state of Tennessee, prompted MTSU officials to consider discontinuing the station in early 2009. However, in late 2009, the university decided to instead merge WMOT's operations into a consortium with the other MTSU media (such as WMTS and the student newspaper) titled the Media Convergence Center, with consequent reductions in the station's subsidy, in order to avoid closing it down.
Along with the reorganization, WMOT decided to make radical scheduling changes, notably discontinuing its exclusively jazz format in order to appeal to a wider audience in the Nashville market, which, like most metropolitan areas, only has a small number of fans of that genre. In October 2009, WMOT added news and talk programming to the morning and afternoon "drive time" slots between 5 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. from the BBC and Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
. However, after Nashville public radio outlet WPLN-FM
WPLN-FM
WPLN-FM , is a National Public Radio-affiliated station in Nashville, Tennessee. Since June 2011, the station has employed exclusively a news and talk format; up until then, the station carried at least some classical music...
discontinued classical music programming during the daytime on weekdays in 2009, WMOT decided in February 2011 to fill the void by replacing jazz with classical between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., formerly the hours when WPLN broadcast that format, in order to gain listenership from disaffected classical fanciers. WMOT also brought back, after many years' absence, National Public Radio's flagship program, All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, despite the fact that it duplicates the program's carriage by WPLN (as does the NPR hourly news updates).
The situation has become even more complicated with the fact that WPLN's parent organization, Nashville Public Radio, acquired the Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
student-run station WRVU
WRVU
WRVU is a college radio station broadcasting a Variety radio format; though it originally broadcast on 91.1 FM, the station now broadcasts over an HD Radio subchannel and streams to internet radio listeners. Licensed to Nashville, Tennessee, USA, the station serves Vanderbilt University...
in June 2011, converting it into an all-classical format under the WFCL
WFCL
WOTE is a radio station broadcasting an adult standards format. Licensed to Clintonville, Wisconsin, USA, the station is currently owned by Results Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio and Jones Radio Network.-History:...
callsign, while the main WPLN signal became a full-time news-and-talk outlet. This recent move suggests that WMOT's future is once again in question, as it may have to consider yet another format change to prevent duplication of programming in the Nashville market. Unfortunately, MTSU officials may decide that the station cannot compete in a drastically changed non-commercial environment, and go forward with plans to close the station and sell to another broadcaster. As of mid-2011, no plans had been announced to that effect, though.