Vol Network

Last updated

Vol Network
Type Radio network
Television network
BrandingVol Network (general)
Lady Vol Network (women’s basketball)
Country
Headquarters Knoxville, Tennessee
Broadcast area
Tennessee (statewide)
northern Alabama
eastern Arkansas
northern Georgia
southwestern and southcentral Kentucky
far northern Mississippi (limited)
western North Carolina
southwestern Virginia
Owner IMG College
University of Tennessee (UTK Sports & Campus Marketing)
Parent IMG
Established1949 (as a radio network)
Affiliation(s) Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Lady Volunteers
Affiliates 44 (Radio)
7 (Television)
Official website
utsports.com/sports/2017/6/15/volnetwork.aspx

The Vol Network is the radio and television network of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's and women's sports teams known as the Vols and Lady Vols. Established in 1949 and since 2019, it has been operated by Learfield IMG College. [1]

Contents

It consists of two regional sports networks, about 67 radio stations (both AM and FM), as well as eight television stations across Tennessee, also serving varied portions of neighboring states, depending on the station and market.

Some of the Tennessee Vols’ pre-season exhibition and early season basketball games are also streamed via UTSports.com

History

The first Tennessee Volunteers football game radio broadcast was produced by the Vol Radio Network in 1949. [2] The name of the radio network was given by the legendary Robert R. Neyland, with Lindsey Nelson serving as the first-ever play-by-play announcer.

Men's basketball games were added to the Vol Network's portfolio in the early 1950s. The Vol Network began broadcasting Tennessee Lady Vols basketball games in the 1977-1978 season. [3] When the Vol Network airs the women's basketball broadcasts, it is identified as the Lady Vol Network. It is claimed to be the largest women's college basketball radio network in the country.

Host Communications managed media rights to University of Tennessee athletics, and operated the Vol Network from 1989 until November 2007, when Host Communications merged with IMG College, a division of IMG. [4]

On-air personalities

Notable personalities

Programming

Current television programming

Recent former television programming

Radio programming

Television affiliates

City of license (Market)StationChannel Primary affiliation Notes
Chattanooga WTVC 9.1 ABC
Jackson (TN) WJKT 16.1 FOX
EPlusTV6 6 (cable only) Independent The Holly Warlick Show only
Johnson City
(Kingsport/Bristol, TN-VA)
WJHL-TV
WJHL-DT2
11.1
11.2
CBS
ABC
Knoxville WVLT-TV
WVLT-DT2
8.1
8.2
CBS
MyNetworkTV
Flagship stations of the Vol Network's TV programming
Memphis WATN-TV 24.1ABC
WLMT 30.1 The CW Replays of Vol Network TV shows from WATN
Nashville WZTV 17.1FoxAlso serves the Bowling Green, Kentucky area by default
WUXP 30.1MyNetworkTV


Regional Sports Networks

Callsign/Station NameService AreaNotes
Fox Sports Southeast
(formerly SportSouth) [7] [8]
Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, southeast North Carolina Also available nationwide via Dish Network and DirecTV

Former TV affiliates

Callsign/Station NameService AreaNotes
Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia Defunct as of June 1, 2014
WMYA Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC Licensed to Anderson, SC; Disaffiliated as of 2013
WMC-TV Memphis, Tennessee Disaffiliated in 2013, coach's TV shows moved to WATN and WLMT
WPXX-TV Disaffiliated in 2008; secondary TV affiliate
WKPT-TV Tri-CitiesDisaffiliated in 2013; replaced by WJHL
WAPK-CD/WKPT-DT2

Radio affiliates

Current affiliates

Tennessee Volunteers games played at night used to be heard across 28 states in the eastern half of the United States and three provinces in eastern Canada thanks to a previous affiliation deal with Nashville's 50,000 watt clear-channel station WLAC. This ended in 2010 when that station lost the Vol Network affiliation to WGFX.

All affiliates broadcast men's and women's basketball as well as UT football unless otherwise stated in the notes column. [9] [10] Fans out of range of all stations can also listen to the game broadcasts via the TuneIn and UT GameDay app or via the University of Tennessee sports website.

Tennessee

City
(Station location in parentheses if not city of license)
Callsign Frequency/BandNotes
Knoxville WNML 990 AMFlagship station of the network
WNML 99.1 FMFull-time repeater of flagship station WNML-AM 990
WIVK 107.7 FM Football and Men's Basketball only
Baxter (Cookeville) WBXE 93.7 FM
Bolivar WMOD 96.7 FMFootball and women's basketball
Bristol
(Kingsport/Johnson City, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia)
WOPI 1490 AM
Brownsville WTBG 95.3 FMFootball only
Camden WRJB 98.3 FM
Carthage WUCZ 104.1 FMFootball only
Centerville WNKX 96.7 FM
Calhoun
(Athens/Cleveland)
WCLE 104.1 FM
Chattanooga WGOW 1150 AMWomen's basketball only
WSKZ 106.5 FMFootball only
Clarksville WNZE 1400 AMFootball only; basketball can be heard in this area via WGFX/Gallatin
Cleveland WCLE AM 1570Women ‘s basketball only
Cookeville WGSQ 94.7 FM
Columbia WKOM 101.7 FM
Covington WKBQ 93.5 FM
Crossville WOWF 102.5 FM
Dickson WDKN 1260 AMFootball only
W268BN101.5 FMFootball only; translator of WDKN
Dredsden (Martin/Paris) WCDZ 95.1 FMAlso serves southwest Kentucky, including Fulton and Mayfield
Dyersburg WTRO 1450 AMFootball only; can also be heard from Carruthersville, Missouri
Elizabethton WKPP 1520 AMFootball only
Erwin WEMB AM 1420
Fayetteville WYTM 105.5 FMFootball and men's basketball; can also serve Huntsville, Alabama
Franklin WAKM 950 AMFootball and men's basketball
Gallatin (Nashville) WGFX 104.5 FMAll sports broadcasts; also serves as the secondary Vol Network station for the Clarksville, TN/Hopkinsville, KY area, and also serves parts of south-central Kentucky, including Bowling Green
Greeneville WGRV 1340 AMFootball and women's basketball
WIKQ 103.1 FM
Hartsville WTNK 1090 AMMen's basketball only
Jackson WDXI 1310 AMFootball and men's basketball
WMXX 103.1 FMFootball only
Johnson City WQUT 101.5 FMFootball only; also serves Kingsport and Bristol
Jonesborough
(Johnson City)
WKTP 1590 AM
Kingsport WKPT 1400 AM
WKOS 104.9 FM
Lafayette WLCT 102.1 FMFootball only
Lenoir City WLIL 730 AMFootball and men's basketball
WKZX-FM 93.5 FMFootball only
Lewisburg WJJM 1490 AM
WJJM 94.3 FMFootball and men's basketball
Lexington (Jackson) WBFG 95.9 FM
Livingston WLIV 920 AM
WUCH 96.9 FM
Livingston (Cookeville) WLQK 95.9 FMWomen's basketball only
Madisonville WRKZ 1250 AMMen's basketball only
Manchester WFTZ 101.5 FMAlso serves Tullahoma
Martin WCMT 1410 AMFootball only
McKimmon (Paris) WTPR-FM 101.7 FM
McMinnville WAKI 1230 AMMen's basketball only
WKZA 107.3 FMFootball only
Memphis WMFS 680 AM
WMFS 92.9 FM
Morristown WCRK 1150 AM
Newport WLIK 1270 AM
Oneida WBNT 105.5 FM
Paris WTPR 710 AM
Parsons WKJQ 97.3 FMFootball only
Pulaski WKSR 1420 AM
WLXA 98.3 FM
Savannah WKWX 93.5 FM
Smithville WJLE 1480 AM
WJLE 101.7 FM
Soddy-Daisy (Chattanooga) WGOW-FM 102.3 FMFootball and men's and women's basketball
Union City WENK 1240 AMAlso serves Fulton, Kentucky and South Fulton, Tennessee
Wartburg WECO 101.3 FM
Waverly WQMV 1060 AMFootball only
Winchester WCDT 1340 AM

Other areas

City
(Station location in parentheses if not city of license)
Callsign Frequency/BandNotes
Murphy, North Carolina WCVP 600 AMFootball only
Bridgeport, Alabama WJTW 106.1 FM / 1480 AMFootball & Basketball
Elsewhere in the USA SiriusXM n/a [11]

Former affiliates

Tennessee

City
(Station location in parentheses if not city of license)
Callsign Frequency/BandNotes
Ashland City WQSV 790 AMWomen's basketball only; disaffiliated in 2015
Athens WAYA 93.9 FM
Cookeville WHUB AM 1400Moved to WBXE and WGSQ
Cowan (Winchester) WZYX AM 1440
Crossville WCSV AM 1490Moved to WOWF
Knoxville WNOX AM 1440Former flagship
La Follette (Jacksboro) WQLA 104.9 FM
Lawrenceburg WDXE 95.9 FM
WTNX 106.7 FMstation sold to Educational Media Foundation; now K-LOVE WLFM
Memphis WREC AM 600
Murfreesboro WBOZ 104.9 FM
WGNS AM 1450Affiliated 199?-2005
Nashville WLAC 1510 AMAffiliation moved to WGFX/Gallatin in 2010. This staton's night-time signal granted access to nighttime Tennessee Vols football and basketball games to listeners in much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. and in three Canadian provinces.
WNRQ 105.9 FMDisaffiliated in 2010
Portland WQKR AM 1270Disaffiliated in 2010. Could also serve Franklin, Kentucky.
Ripley WTRB AM 1570
South Pittsburg WEPG AM 910
Waynesboro WWON AM 930Football-only affiliate; Disaffiliated in 2013

Other states

Sponsors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Volunteers</span> University of Tennessee athletic teams

The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In January 2021, Danny White was introduced as the Volunteers' Director of Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thompson–Boling Arena</span> Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Thompson–Boling Arena at Food City Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers (men) and Lady Vols (women) basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vols volleyball team. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Edward J. Boling. The basketball court is named "The Summitt" after the late Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. It replaced the Stokely Athletic Center. The mammoth octagonal building lies just northwest of the Tennessee River, and just southwest of Neyland Stadium. As an echo of its neighbor and a tribute to the brick-and-mortar pattern atop Ayres Hall, the baselines of the court are painted in the familiar orange-and-white checkerboard pattern.

John H Ward was an American sportscaster, best known as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the University of Tennessee (UT), primarily from 1965 until 1999, and known to fans as the "Voice of the Vols".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Volunteers basketball</span> College mens basketball team representing the University of Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena, on a court nicknamed "the Summitt", after former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. With a current capacity of 21,678, Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in terms of volume of attendance, averaging 14,817 attendance from 1988 through 2006, and averaging 17,194 attendance from 2007 through 2018 after reducing seating capacity prior to the 2007 season. Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Bernard King, Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, Tobias Harris, and Grant Williams who all play(ed) in the NBA. Chris Lofton, Ron Slay, Tyler Smith, and John Fulkerson are also notable players who later played professionally in other leagues.

The UK Sports Network, historically known as the Big Blue Sports Network (BBSN) and also formerly known as the UK IMG Sports Network, is the radio and television network of the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's and women's sports teams. It consists of five over-the-air television affiliates and 44 radio stations in Kentucky and neighboring states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Lady Volunteers cross country</span> American college cross country team

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers cross country program represents the University of Tennessee (UT) located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The women's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The women's cross country team officially started in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry</span> American college sports rivalry

The Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The passionate rivalry between these two Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools, located about 173 miles (278 km) apart, dates to their first college football game in 1893, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining particular attention in recent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Lady Volunteers soccer</span> American college soccer team

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers soccer team represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA Division I women's soccer competition as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Volunteers women's track and field</span> American college track and field team

The Tennessee Volunteers women's track and field program represents the University of Tennessee in the sport of track and field. The indoor and outdoor programs compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Lady Vols host their home outdoor meets at the newly renovated Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, located on the university's Knoxville, Tennessee campus. They formally held meets indoors at Stokely Athletic Center until the arenas demolition in 2012, but will soon have a new indoor track facility sometime in the 2020s. The team is led by current head coach Duane Ross who took over the program after the firing of Beth Alford-Sullivan in May 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the 118th overall season, 81st as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and its 23rd within the SEC Eastern Division. The team was coached by Butch Jones in his second season with Tennessee, and played its home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

Timothy A. Priest is an American attorney, broadcaster and former football player. He served as the football color analyst for the University of Tennessee's Vol Radio Network from 1999 to 2021, working alongside play-by-play commentator Bob Kesling. Priest played for Tennessee from 1968 to 1970, and holds the school's career interceptions record, with 18. He was captain of the 1970 squad, which featured one of the most heralded defensive backfields in school history.

The Michigan Wolverines Sports Network is an American radio network consisting of 46 radio stations which carry coverage of Michigan Wolverines football and men's basketball. WXYT-FM and WWJ, both in Metro Detroit, serve as the network's flagship stations. The network also includes 44 affiliates in the U.S. states of Michigan and Ohio: 27 AM stations, four of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; and 17 full-power FM stations. Games are also available on Sirius XM satellite radio and online via TuneIn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2015 season. This was the 119th overall season, 82nd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and its 24th within the SEC Eastern Division. The team was coached by Butch Jones, in his third season with UT, and plays their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. This season was also the debut season of Mike DeBord as UT's offensive coordinator.

The Vanderbilt IMG Sports Network, also known as the Commodore Radio Network, is the sports radio network for the Vanderbilt Commodores, the athletic programs of Vanderbilt University. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the network consists of 10 radio stations in Middle Tennessee, and one in Kentucky.

The Hilltopper Sports Network is the regional sports radio network for the Western Kentucky University's Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers. Headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the network provides coverage of WKU's athletic teams football, men's and women's basketball. Some select affiliates also clears WKU Men's Baseball games. The network boasts the second-largest radio network in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, behind only their main competitor, the UK IMG Sports Network.

The U of L Sports Network is the radio network of the University of Louisville Cardinals. It consists of fifteen (15) radio stations in primarily located in Kentucky, but the network serves much of Kentucky and southern Indiana.

The Longhorn Radio Network is a radio network in the United States that is dedicated to broadcasting live events and programming of the Texas Longhorns football, basketball, baseball, and softball teams. Owned by Learfield IMG College and the University of Texas at Austin via a joint venture, the network consists of 36 affiliates covering 90% of the state of Texas. The network provides broadcasts in the English language for most affiliates, with some affiliates providing broadcasts in Spanish for the benefit of Hispanic listeners.

The LSU Sports Network is the radio and television network of the Louisiana State University Tigers and Lady Tigers men's and women's sports teams. It consists of eleven television stations, two regional cable networks, and several radio stations throughout the state of Louisiana and surrounding states. Its headquarters are located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and it is owned by LSU Sports Properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Volunteers women's swimming and diving</span>

The Tennessee Volunteers women's Swimming and Diving program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers are currently coached by Matt Kredich. The Lady Vols host their swim home meets in Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center which was newly built in 2008. The Lady compete in the SEC where they have won 2 SEC team titles, 84 individual, relay, and diving titles. Additionally, the program is one of only 3 that have scored in all 41 NCAA meets, and it has produced 8 NCAA individual and relay titles, 16 Olympians, and 3 Olympic medalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's tennis</span> American college tennis team

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's tennis team represents the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN. The program has qualified for 31 NCAA Tournaments, including 20 straight from 1995 to 2014. They are led by former player and current 8th year head coach Alison Ojeda.

References

  1. IMG College - University of Tennessee, Knoxville IMGCollege.com. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  2. UTSports.com Vol Radio Network Archived from the original October 18, 2000. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  3. 2015-16 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Media Guide, page 210.
  4. Tennessee Football 2008 Media Guide - p. 209
  5. 1 2 Vol Network Staff UTSports.com
  6. 2014-15 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Record Book, page 206.
  7. Vol Network Coaches Shows
  8. SportSouth Acquires Rights Package to UT Events
  9. “Vol Network Football Affiliates”. UTsports.com.
  10. “Vol Network Basketball Affiliates”. UTsports.com.
  11. Tennessee Football 2012 Media Guide - p. 401