Alumnus Todd Steed (‘84) can still recall the first time he began using his journalism degree after earning it at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
He was working at a music school in Lithuania. One day a woman came up to him on the street because he looked American. She was looking for someone who could edit English for a local television’s station’s English language newscast.
“I said, ‘I did take an editing class, and I have a journalism degree.’ She responded ‘You got a journalism degree. You’re hired,’” Steed said.
Working as an editor at a Lithuanian television station turned out to be Steed’s big break and set his career on a transformative trajectory in the field of journalism and media. He would become one of the most recognizable voices in public broadcasting as a member of WUOT 91.9 FM—East Tennessee’s NPR affiliate—where he works as the program director and host of Studio 865/Flipside and Improvisations
Steed is also a talented musician and continues to write songs and play music—often about his hometown of Knoxville—which has earned him several accolades including induction into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame for songwriting.
These accomplishments and more are why Steed was recently honored with the School of Journalism and Media (J&M) 2024 Alumni of the Year Award.
“Todd Steed is not just a Tennessee treasure, but a Knoxville one,” said Amy Jo Coffey, director of the School of Journalism and Media. “Through his work and music, he has shown his affection for his community and the people who live here. He has honored and respected his audiences over the decades, and we now honor him.”
Steed is one of two alumni this year who have received J&M’s annual award recognizing a distinguished alum, with the other recipient being former “Voice of the Vols” and award-winning sports broadcaster Bob Kesling (‘77).
Finding His Voice
When it came to choosing a major at UT, Steed had one stipulation: no math.
An advisor recommended he pursue journalism, and it wasn’t long before he was hooked. Steed had taken journalism courses in high school and found interviewing and learning about other people’s stories appealing.
“I just wanted to meet other people and explore the world,” Steed said. “It seemed like the perfect major.”
He initially applied for a job at WUOT—which didn’t work out—but he instead landed an opportunity at WUTK-FM as a deejay. Steed said the student-run station, which was developed to be a learning lab for communication students, was only a couple years old when he started.
“It was great,” Steed said. “It was a very supportive environment that allowed your creativity to bloom.”
One of Steed’s ideas was to change the music format, which at the time focused more on pop and smooth jazz, to incorporate more indie rock and popular music. Much to his surprise, they loved the idea.
Another suggestion of his was to feature more local bands. Steed said it started off as a way to get his own band’s music on the air. He had been playing music since he was in high school and made enough income from his musical endeavors to pay for college while studying.
Plugged into the local music scene, he knew there were plenty of talented musicians in Knoxville and he believed the airtime would help grow their fanbases. His idea became a tradition of featuring local musicians that continues today at WUTK.
Steed said he owes a lot to WUTK. He said faculty created an excellent learning lab and he would often take what he learned in classes with journalism professors such as Barbara Moore, Paul Ashdown, June Adams, and Anna Paddon and apply them at the station.
“I have unbelievable gratitude for my professors at UT,” Steed said. “I still hear their voices and their advice. They believed in me when maybe I wasn’t so sure about myself. I’m still learning from them and applying what they taught me. If there is one regretI have it’s that I didn’t get to thank the ones that are now gone.”
An Unexpected Journey
When it came time to graduate, Steed was faced with a dilemma. Should he continue to pursue music or find a job using the degree he just worked so hard for?
He chose the former.
“I think my parents were a little disappointed, understandably,” Steed said. “When I was playing music in college, I found out I was making slightly more than a beginning journalist salary. It was a simple mathematical equation: I’m making more playing music than being a reporter and it is fun. I’m going to try that.”
Once it became no longer feasible to get by just as a performing musician, his life took another turn. He traveled abroad and started teaching music abroad in countries such as Lithuania.
His return to being on air also happened in Lithuania. One day they needed a replacement broadcaster to do the news and being the only other fluent English speaker at the station, he was the de facto choice.
“Lithuanian grandmas must have liked having me on because, soon after, I was on the air more often,” Steed said.
He would eventually return to Knoxville to complete his master’s degree in education because he enjoyed teaching abroad so much. This led to a job teaching at the English Language Institute on the UT campus. He would travel abroad to teach one more time—this time Indonesia—for a year before returning to UT to work at the Center for International Education.
He also picked up hosting a radio show with WUOT. Steed said he grew up listening to WUOT with his family so the opportunity to work there was surreal. He would eventually leave his role at the Center for International Education to dedicate more time to working at the station.
All the while, Steed continued to work on his music, which blended well with his role at WUOT.
“To be honest, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t just realize how much I love it here,” Steed said. “As a 22-year-old kid, my biggest worry was being bored and in a job that wasn’t interesting. I’m happy to tell that kid that it didn’t happen.”