WMOT, the 100,000-watt FM public radio station at Middle Tennessee State University, has changed its programming schedule, adding classical music in the day and keeping jazz at night.
Middle Tennessee Public Radio, located at 89.5 on the dial, will also be adding new shows to its lineup and welcoming back an old friend: National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” which will air from 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays.
“MTSU wants our radio station to grow its audience,” said WMOT Station Manager Henri Pensis, who joined the university last fall. “To do that, we’re bringing back classical music, a format that’s usually among the most popular in public radio.”
WMOT’s weekday lineup changes include:
– Classical-music programming on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
– “All Things Considered,” a news-and-issues program that’s been a staple of NPR’s afternoon lineup since 1971, from 3 to 5 p.m.;
– A new arts interview show, “Q” from Canada, which will air at 6 p.m., right after Public Radio International’s “The World” from 5 to 6 p.m.; and
– Jazz music starting at 7 p.m., hosted by Greg Lee, then switching over to Bob Parlocha at 9 p.m. Jazz music will run until 5 a.m., when “The Takeaway,” a topical news-and-conversation show, airs until 7 a.m. “The Takeaway” will repeat from 7 to 9 a.m.
“With the exception of ‘All Things Considered,’ it’s a bit different from what you can get in Nashville,” Pensis said.
Weekend programming on WMOT will remain mostly jazz with a notable new arrival: the addition of “Music City Roots: Live from the Loveless Café,” which will air Sundays from 7 to 9 p.m.
The Nashville-based two-hour radio show is billed by its producers as a “worldwide platform built to showcase the amazing musical culture that is rooted so deeply in our community.” It was launched in 2009 by co-founders and executive producers Todd Mayo and John Walker.
“We are pleased to welcome WMOT to the ‘Roots’ syndication community,” Mayo said. “WMOT has a rich history in Middle Tennessee of quality programming, and we feel they are a great fit for ‘Music City Roots.’”
“Q,” a lively excursion through arts, culture and entertainment, has been a big hit for arts-and-culture listeners in Canada and has recently started to find broadcast outlets in the United States. Its host, Jian Ghomeshi, has featured a range of guests from Nobel laureates to Oscar winners.
Weekday-morning classical music kicks off on WMOT with WFMT’s Beethoven Network from 9 to 11 a.m. The Beethoven Network, hosted by Peter Van De Graaff, showcases a library of more than 75,000 classical-music recordings.
At 11 a.m., the station will air “Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin,” a series that offers composer biographies and music of different cultures, styles and time periods.
WMOT, founded in 1969, is a listener-supported, educational and public service of MTSU. Its 100,000-watt signal reaches the entire Metropolitan Nashville area and it is the flagship station for the Blue Raiders athletics network.
For more information, to listen live anytime and anywhere and to support the station’s programming and mission, visit wmot.org.
