Matt Shafer Powell, a public media leader with over 25 years of experience and a deep history with WUOT 91.9 FM, has been named the station’s new director, effective Oct. 26, 2026.
Powell brings extensive public media leadership experience and a proven record of strengthening audiences, content operations and organizational growth. He previously served as WUOT’s director of news content from 2002 to 2017, where he built and managed a successful news operation and developed community engagement initiatives in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“We are excited to welcome Matt Shafer Powell back to Rocky Top as the new director of WUOT,” said Joseph Mazer, dean of the College of Communication and Information. “Matt’s career reflects a deep commitment to public media, journalism, community engagement and the role that a strong public radio station can play in serving its listeners and its community. His return represents an exciting opportunity to build on the station’s strong foundation while positioning WUOT for the future in an evolving public media landscape.”
Powell returns to WUOT after serving in senior leadership positions at Michigan Public at the University of Michigan and WFYI in Indianapolis. As program director at Michigan Public since 2022, he has led content strategy across Michigan’s largest NPR network, helping the organization achieve four-year highs in audience size and listener engagement metrics. He also played a leadership role in the station’s membership drives, contributing to increases in member participation and fundraising.
Previously, as chief content officer at WFYI, Powell oversaw a 40-member content department and held budgetary responsibility for the majority of the organization’s operations. He also helped lead efforts that secured more than $6.3 million in reporting grants from major philanthropic organizations and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“I’m excited to be returning to WUOT and to East Tennessee, a radio station and a community that have meant so much to me throughout my career,” said Matt Shafer Powell. “The passion and commitment East Tennesseans have for public radio and its mission is truly special. I look forward to the opportunity to work closely with the incredibly talented WUOT-FM team, the University of Tennessee and this extraordinary community in building the future of WUOT.”
Powell’s work has earned national recognition, including National Edward R. Murrow Awards for documentary and writing, a National Online Journalism Award, and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Horace V. Wells Community Service Award.
He holds a bachelor of applied arts in broadcast and cinematic arts from Central Michigan University.
Listener-supported WUOT is licensed to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and qualified by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. WUOT is a member of NPR and an affiliate of the Public Radio Exchange and American Public Media, serving listeners throughout East Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.