WUTK shows paused as Knoxville music scene grapples with future of longtime GM Benny Smith

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As the Knoxville music scene seeks answers about the employment status of longtime WUTK General Manager Benny Smith, a respected and well-liked personality in local music, a popular live program featured on the college radio station was pulled from the air a half-hour before showtime and the WUTK Facebook page was taken down.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville did not respond July 11 or 12 to Knox News questions regarding Smith’s future at WUTK, who is overseeing the station and who made the decision to yank specialty shows from the air.

Changes afoot at the radio station operated by the university caught the host of “Six O’Clock Swerve” by surprise. Host Wayne Bledsoe, set to go live from Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, shared with a live audience that his show would not air as usual.

Additionally, Derek Senter, co-host of WUTK’s “The Funhouse” on Friday nights, told Knox News he has been informed his show would not air. He decided to move the July 12 broadcast of his show − expected to be more like an impromptu community forum − to public access TV on knoxcm.org. Legendary local rock band Superdrag and Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson were announced as guests.

“We’re going to stoke the fires of this situation to let this university know that they have majorly f—– up,” Senter’s co-host, Rob Levering, told the Barley’s audience just before Senter announced the station’s Facebook page had been taken down.

As of 6 p.m. July 12, anyone attempting to access the page were met with a message saying “this content isn’t available right now.”

The university oversees operations at WUTK (90.3 FM), which broadcasts a broad range of music and entertainment programming, as well as public radio station WUOT (91.9 FM), which airs news and classical and jazz music.

In an email from Levering to College of Communication and Information leaders, he called the decision to remove Smith from WUTK a “massive mistake,” though university spokesperson Kerry Gardner told Knox News on July 11 that Smith is still employed.

Smith’s job status has been the subject of all sorts of speculation online, and many of his supporters have described it as a dismissal. Smith, however, asked Bledsoe in a text message shared with Knox News to tell his audience that’s not the case.

“If you could, clarify to folks that I am currently on leave,” the text said. “No job has been terminated. More will come soon, but know that (my daughter and wife) and I feel the Knox fam BIG loves from every single one of you. Get ready for a K-Town Saturday night this weekend.” 

Bledsoe said Smith will be in attendance for a Superdrag concert at Lost & Found Records on July 13.

In response to follow-up questions July 11, Gardner said the university does not comment on “personnel matters.” Additional questions sent the following day were not answered.

Our questions were:

• Is Benny Smith no longer overseeing WUTK?
• If that’s the case, why not?
• If he’s not, who is overseeing WUTK?
• Has there been any restructuring at WUTK, WUOT or the College of Communication and Information?
• Who made the decision to pull specialty shows, and how long will they be paused?
• Is it true that non-students aren’t allowed at WUTK? If so, for how long?

On July 2, the UT School of Journalism and Media made a Facebook post congratulating Smith on being named “Knoxvillian of the Year” by Blank Newspaper in its “Best of Knoxville” readers poll. Local restaurant owner Yassin Terou was a co-recipient of that honor.

The poll also selected WUTK as Knoxville’s best radio station and named WUTK radio personality Clay McCammon of Marble City Radio Company the best in town.

On July 11, McCammon encouraged people on Facebook to attend the “Six O’Clock Swerve” to show support and solidarity, adding the hashtag #BringBackBenny. Hours later, a post to the Marble City Radio Company page on Facebook said “the university has declared that all non-student DJs are prohibited from doing shifts and specialty shows for the rest of the week.”

Knox News briefly spoke to Smith at his home the afternoon of July 11. When asked whether there was any truth to rumors he is no longer with the station, he declined to comment and told Knox News he is “laying low.”

Smith returned to WUTK full time in 2004 after previous stints as a specialty show host, music director and program director. He got his start with the station as a student DJ in the 1980s.

Acclaimed music promoter and Knoxville native Ashley Capps told Knox New via text Smith has been “a great champion of the Knoxville music scene and college radio for 40 years.”

“THE champion of the local music scene in many ways,” he said. 

Tyler Larrabee, a concert promoter and band manager, spoke with Knox News about how Smith mentored him as he was launching New Ground Music Festival in 2019. Smith later allowed Larrabee to join the radio station and learn alongside students, even though he was not enrolled at UT. 

“He kept it student-led, and he kept the students feeling like it was their station and they were part of something more and they had the power to make the music scene something that they wanted to be a part of,” Larrabee said. “It’s an inspiration.”

Knox News tried to reach representatives of WUTK, WUOT and the College of Communication and Information. None of our requests were returned. 

On the afternoon of July 11, The Rock on campus was painted with the message “We <3 Benny VFL.” 

Bledsoe encouraged Smith supporters to protest the changes by donating in minuscule increments to WUOT, whose leadership some feel are responsible for Smith’s change in status with WUTK. They also should ask for documentation for tax purposes, Bledsoe said.

The idea is that WUOT will be overwhelmed by the large number of donations, albeit small amounts, but will have to accept them regardless for compliancy.

“This music community is too strong to fail,” Bledsoe said.

Contact Keenan Thomas by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com; Ryan Wilusz by email at ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com.