By Karina DiMare
TAMPA, Fla. –– WUTT: Spartan Radio is the sole radio station at The University of Tampa. The station was created in 1946 and is offered as a course and club to educate students. It is broadcast live on the RadioFX app from the station’s headquarters in room 101 in the Cass Communications Building. Unfortunately, student engagement with the radio station has decreased in recent years. The goal of WUTT going into next year is to increase student involvement and impact on campus and the Tampa Bay area.
Course Information
The WUTT: Student Radio course is labeled COM 250 and is currently taught by Dr. Robert Apiyo. In the class, students learn how to produce radio content for the student-run radio station. According to the UT Course Catalog, students are taught how to properly interview subjects, learn how to DJ, and are educated on the technicalities of running a radio station, including licensing, marketing, and radio regulations. The course is offered for the fall and spring semesters and is available to take for two or four credits per semester.
Engagement
“Since COVID, we’ve been on a direction to rebuild our brand and our identity,” said Steve Ifantis, general manager of the WUTT: Spartan Radio club.
The club has 80 members signed up on InvolveUT, but they aren’t participating in club events. There were no in-person meetings held this year due to a lack of interest from those who signed up for the club. A new executive board was selected to boost engagement for the upcoming school year.
“We need to get our name out there; we need to get more broadcasting,” said Ifantis.
Current club members welcome incoming students to utilize the space to produce and create content. The club is completely free, and free training is provided by the advisor and experienced members of the club. Microphones, music, and all other necessary technical equipment are provided by the organization.
Members of the club are able to create their own shows that run on air and collaborate with other clubs to host events, like concerts in the Tampa area. The goal of the club is to create more shows for the station and even rebuild their YouTube channel to get students’ work on the web.
Rebirth
A brand new executive board has just been selected, with Steve Ifantis at the helm as general manager. During the 2024-2025 school year, Ifantis was the budget manager of the club and has been a member since he was a freshman in 2023. The faculty advisor will continue to be Professor Eric Fernandez, who has held the position for the last two years.
WUTT is equipped with members who run marketing and manage social media platforms to promote future events and activities run by the events team. In addition, there are news, music, and sports directors who conduct interviews with local artists and athletes. There is a place for any student interested in marketing, media, music, content creation, event planning, finance, communication, or journalism in the WUTT community.
Future Plans
Ifantis and Fernandez have many plans for the 2025-2026 school year. They plan to implement an ongoing 24-hour live stream on the WUTT radio station that will play music, news, and conversation curated by students. In addition, they intend to make a podcast creation room with new equipment, including movable cameras and lighting. They will separate the current studio into two studios: one for the radio and one for podcasting. This will be an opportunity for students to learn how to create podcasts and stream them on the radio show or YouTube. In addition, Ifantis said that the radio plans to hold weekly meetings next semester.
Ifantis also plans to get more involved with the WUTT: Spartan Radio class, COM 250, so the students have the opportunity to have their projects broadcast on the station. This would help build an archive of content for the 24-hour live stream. Ifantis said his goal is to get the 24-hour live station up and running by the first day of classes of the fall semester on Aug. 25.
Getting Involved
Students can sign up for the WUTT: Spartan Radio club on the club’s InvolveUT page. Upon signing up, head over to the WUTT: Spartan Radio Instagram page to stay up to date on upcoming events. If you want to join WUTT for course credit, sign up for the class COM 250 on Workday with Dr. Robert Apiyo.
Students can also contact General Manager Steve Ifantis at steve.ifantis@spartans.ut.edu or Professor Eric Fernandez at efernandez@ut.edu for more information about the WUTT: Spartan Radio club.
The radio streams on the RadioFX app. The app can be downloaded on iOS and Google Play. Once downloaded, users can search “WUTT Spartan Radio” and start listening.
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Photo courtesy of Karina DiMare.