WUFT-FM 89.1
Gainesville

Original call Letters: WUFT
Origin of Call Letters: University of Florida Television
Originally Licensed: 1981
Original Power: 100,000 watts
Network Affiliations: NPR, APR, PRI

Owner(s):1981-Board of Regents for the University of Florida

History of Call Letters and Formats: WUFT-1981-Classical, Jazz, News, Public Affairs, Folk, Cultural, Fine Arts, Talk


WUFT History 
Thanks to Marc Tyll for this history of WUFT.
WUFT-FM 89.1 began operations in the Fall of 1981 as "Classic 89", the area’s first non-commercial educational FM radio station, broadcasting to a 16-county area with its 100,000 watt signal. The station is owned by the University of Florida and is a major part of the University’s College of Journalism and Communications. The format is classical and concert music during the day with traditional jazz tunes heard at night during "The Night Bridge". International and ethnic music is also a huge part of "Classic 89"s diverse programming initiative, targeting a variety of cultural demographics. WUFT-FM is North Central Florida’s National Public Radio affiliate providing news, public affairs and talk programming.
During the inaugural broadcast, one of the College of Fine Arts music professors played a live original classical version of a tune he had composed using the station’s call letters W-U-F-T-F-M. The call letters were translated to the musical scale, and the tune was played live from the University’s famous landmark bell tower.
Since 1948, commercial radio station WRUF-FM 103.7 had been the University’s cultural and fine arts radio station. The Dean of Broadcasting and a committee in charge of the College of Journalism and Communications decided WRUF-FM had better potential as a rock station, so plans were made in late 1979 to build WUFT-FM to assure the cultural and fine arts programming that WRUF-FM was broadcasting to the area would continue to be available. In 1981 WRUF-FM switched to rock, and at the same time, the construction of WUFT-FM was completed and "Classic 89" was born, commencing regular fine arts broadcasting. Additionally, since the University has owned WUFT-TV since 1953, WUFT-FM made the perfect educational, public broadcast companion to the television station.
WUFT-FM has been serving the North Central Florida area for many years providing cultural, fine arts and international programming, and in 1995 WUFT-FM extended its coverage when it added WJUF-FM 90.1 "Nature Coast 90" Inverness to provide Classic 89’s programming to Florida’s nature coast. WJUF-FMs signal can be heard from New Port Richey to Inglis and covers all of Florida’s Gulf Coast along Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and portions of Levy Counties.
"Classic 89" also provides special programming to the area such as its Reading for the Blind audio service which is broadcast using WUFT-FM’s Subsidiary Communications Authorization. Volunteers collectively spend over 50-hours each week reading selections from the local newspaper, magazines and books to area residents who are visually impaired. The impaired persons can hear selected readings by using a special SCA receiver provided by "Classic 89" free of charge.

Names in WUFT History


Richard Lehner-1997-2007-General Manager




Erika Engstrom-1987-News Producer/Anchor/Reporter

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