WUOT 91.9 FM’s focus on growing its local coverage as East Tennessee’s NPR station was validated with a slew of first-place awards won by its news team at the recent East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalist’s Golden Press Card Awards, notably winning the top Golden Press Award in the All Media category for its continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This distinction is given to a media outlet based on the work WUOT submitted in all categories and is not a category that can be entered. Instead, judges look at the body of work from all entrants and chose one that stands out for this prestigious honor.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have our hard work recognized, even though our true motivation has always been to serve our community, not to create work for the sake of awards,” said WUOT Director Jody Hamblett.
She said countless people at the station and beyond are responsible for WUOT winning this award, including reporters Jacqui Sieber and Pierce Gentry (’25)—the latter of whom was completing his final year as a senior majoring in journalism and media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and won multiple student and professional Golden Press Card Awards across several categories.
Hamblett said she hopes to continue expanding the station’s coverage of local issues and events, as that consistently proves to be the most valuable service public radio can offer the communities it serves. In July 2023, WUOT transitioned into the UT College of Communication and Information (CCI) and Hamblett started shortly thereafter, allowing more involvement from CCI students and more support for the station to grow and fulfill its mission.

“Serving the community is at the heart of public media’s mission. The only way to truly fulfill that role is by being present, engaged with people, and covering local issues and events. Our responsibility is to elevate the voices and concerns of the community we serve,” she said. “In many areas of East Tennessee, it’s a news desert, and with the strong signal we have we are able to reach communities that don’t have access to local news. The success that stations have seen across the country is that the more local content they have, the better they meet the mission of what public radio was established to be.”
One such initiative Hamblett helmed that has provided additional support and visibility for the station is its participation in the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collective of eight stations in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee that was created in 2004. She said more WUOT stories are being aired on NPR now and noted that it isn’t just the breaking news and tragedies being elevated to a national level.
“We live in an area that’s both culturally rich and naturally beautiful, and we have the privilege of showcasing that,” she said. “Just two weeks ago, NPR featured our story on the wildflowers blooming in the Smokies. You wouldn’t expect something so visual to translate well to radio, but it did,” she said.
In that vein, Gentry took first and second place in the Feature Reporting category for and first place in General Reporting for stories celebrating the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding areas:
- General Reporting
- First place – Celebrating 100 years of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club
- Feature Reporting
- First place – A Smoky Mountain Christmas
WUOT’s focus on reporting impactful regional news helped the team sweep the remaining the categories:
- Breaking Coverage – Hurricane Helene
- First Place – WUOT News
- Continuing Coverage – Hurricane Helene
- First Place – WUOT News
- Investigative Reporting
- First Place – Jacqui Sieber/WUOT – Knoxville College Accreditation Struggles
- Government & Politics Reporting
- First Place – Pierce Gentry/WUOT – Knoxville Voters faced with ‘At-Large’ Decision
- Deadline/Breaking News Reporting
- First Place – Pierce Gentry, Jon Knowles/WUOT – Dynamite found at CMC recycling plant causes evacuation
Gentry won additional student awards for his work at the station, putting him in good company with several other students who produced work at outlets under The Media Center at CCI. He’s also won several other honors from different entities at regional and national levels for his work this past year, which is a boon to his career and speaks to the value of the hands-on experiences that are integral to CCI’s strategic plan to set students up for success.

One impactful hands-on experience was the internship at WUOT that ultimately led to Gentry’s role as a professional reporter at the station. Hamblett says bringing students into the station’s news team has been a win-win, benefiting both the students and the newsroom.
“Since Pierce won these awards, there’s been a noticeable shift—students are now lining up to work with us, whereas before, we had little student involvement,” Hamblett said. “I used to visit classes to talk about public radio, and many students didn’t even know what it was. Now, they’re genuinely excited to learn how to become public radio journalists. I haven’t worked with students much in the past, but this experience has been deeply fulfilling in ways I never expected. Seeing how smart and motivated they are, I feel truly honored to play a role in training the next generation of journalists.”
Hamblett said the station is preparing to expand its news team to enhance both the depth and breadth of its coverage. She emphasized that the station’s growth and initiatives remain focused on serving the community, ensuring that public radio continues to address the issues and stories that matter most to its listeners. “Our priority is always to support and reflect the community we serve,” she said. She also expressed deep gratitude for the ongoing support from listeners, which makes this work possible.
Over the past two years, giving to the station has steadily increased, Hamblett said. “This consistent support from our listeners shows their trust in our commitment to delivering meaningful, quality coverage that serves the community. It’s a powerful affirmation that our efforts to inform, engage, and connect continue to resonate—and it motivates us to keep striving for excellence in public service journalism.”
“We understand the deep trust our listeners place in us. As a public radio station, we are not just broadcasters—we are stewards of truth, community, and connection. Our work has the power to inform, inspire, and uplift, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. Every story we tell, every voice we amplify, and every decision we make is guided by a commitment to serve the public with integrity, transparency, and compassion. We know that our community relies on us—not just for news and information, but for a sense of belonging and understanding in an ever-changing world.”