MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Radio, the medium that built America’s epic 20th-century music business, has regularly been declared “dead” in the 21st century. But on Sept. 2, 2016, against all odds, a new radio voice was born in Middle Tennessee, one that was focused on amplifying and enhancing Nashville’s legacy as “Music City USA.”

Ten years later, WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM has established itself as a dynamic regional radio station and a national authority and taste-maker in Americana music.

Operated as a public service of Middle Tennessee State University and its Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, WMOT is supported by its listener community, including a membership of 2,400 (amid a campaign to reach 3,000 members in 2027).

WMOT’s staff of radio veterans maintains a dialogue with the middle Tennessee community, staging scores of live performance events in and around Nashville, while curating a peerless on-air music mix, based on a core playlist of almost 20,000 songs.

From its outset, Roots Radio has emphasized music discovery for its audience and artistic development for the Nashville music community.

The station has been on the front edge of numerous careers during its years on the air, including early support for little-known artists Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell, The War And Treaty, Allison Russell, and many more.

It has also championed diversity and equity in roots music, enthusiastically programming roots music by women and minority artists.

Read the full story at: https://bit.ly/4gIq7rs.

— Craig Havighurst ([email protected])