The 7 Best Knoxville Radio Stations

Here are Knoxville’s best news, sports, and music radio stations to accompany you wherever you choose to tune in!
Written by Drew Waterstreet
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
If you can’t decide where to tune your radio dial, look no further! These are the seven best radio stations that Knoxville has to offer.
While many folks have converted over to streaming platforms, the radio still offers a lot. When you don’t know what to listen to, the radio has a song for you. When you need a local news update, the radio has the story. 
The radio may not be the most advanced platform, but it has a unique way of connecting us to our communities and our favorite songs when we need them most. We're here to make sure Knoxville residents and visitors know precisely what stations to turn their radio to.
icon
Make safe driving pay
Get rewarded for safe driving. Earn points and unlock benefits. Totally free.
Start earning now

The best news and talk radio stations in Knoxville

Staying up-to-date with local and national news can seem like a never-ending challenge. Here are some stations to help you keep pace.

WUOT 91.9: Knoxville’s Public Radio

Call sign: WUOT
Frequency: 91.9 FM
The mission of the
WUOT 91.9
radio station is to inform, educate, entertain, and simply enhance the lives of its dedicated listeners. The entire
program schedule
alternates between NPR’s supplemented programming and local/state news—with a bit of jazz and classical music sprinkled in while the headlines aren’t running.

99.1 The Sports Animal

Call sign: WNML
Frequency: 99.1 FM and 990 AM
With so much going on in the sports world at any given time,
99.1 The Sports Animal
utilizes both the FM and AM dial—now that’s efficiency!
The Starting Lineup
and
The Erik Ainge Show
are two everyday programs to tune into while drinking your morning coffee. The programming is affiliated with CBS Radio for national sports news.
But, radio shows take a back seat when the bright lights are on the field! Tune in for the play-by-play broadcasts of the various sports teams for the Tennessee Volunteers.

105.7 Fanrun Radio: FOX Sports Knoxville

Call sign: WKGN
Frequency: 105.7 FM and 1340 AM
For all of the diehard Tennessee Volunteer fans, look no further than
Fanrun Radio
. This is the place to get all your sports hot takes and postgame analyses. If you miss the shows live, plenty of their content is recorded on their website and mobile app for your listening convenience!

The best music radio stations in Knoxville

Knoxville is known for its country music—you can find a station just about every other frequency. So, we’re here to give some recommendations for radio stations that serve up tunes across other genres.

Lit 97.1: KNOXVILLE’S TOTALLY LIT STATION

Call sign: WTLT
Frequency: 97.1 FM and 1120 AM
Let’s get LIT! This station is brand new on the scene, officially going on air in 2021. Their playlist is a perfect mixture of Hip Hop and R&B music with a pinch of pop culture.
DeDe McGuire
has come over from the world-famous K104 in Dallas to help get this station off the ground—we’d say it’s going pretty well!
If you haven’t heard of
Lit 97.1
yet, now you have!

B97.5: Contemporary Music

Call sign: WJXB
Frequency: 97.5 FM
The word contemporary sounds way more boring than what the term actually means. With
B97.5
, contemporary means spinning today’s hot hits with a mixture of pop classics! You'll hear tunes from Bruno Mars, Adele, Whitney Houston, and more—that doesn’t sound very boring to us!
Also, tune in for the B97.5 Morning Show, concert ticket giveaways, Sunday worship, and more!

Jammin’ 99.7: WJBE Just the Best Everday

Call sign: WJBE
Frequency: 99.7 FM and 1040 AM
Ready to get your groove on?
Jammin’ 99.7
is here to fuel the fire deep down in your soul! The show lineup consists of today’s R&B and Hip Hop. The Sunday schedule also offers music segments for Gospel and Jazz.
The iconic voice of Steve Harvey will accompany your morning commute—his morning show runs from 6 am to 10 am on weekdays.

105.1 WKCE: Knoxville's Original Oldies Station

Call sign: WKCE
Frequency: 105.1 FM and 1180 AM
If today’s music doesn’t do it for you,
105.1 WKCE
has got you covered with the smooth tunes of the good ol’ days. You’ll hear the tracks from the likes of Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and more! Some things never go out of style.
rating reverse-full
"I’m earning
awesome rewards
every week, just for driving safe!”

How to save money on car insurance in Knoxville

When you hear the song Low by Flo Rida on Lit 97.1, it should remind you of your car insurance rate after using
Jerry
, the
trustworthy super app
.
In all seriousness, If you’re looking for a new insurance company, Jerry can provide you with competitive quotes in under a minute. Swapping to a more affordable policy is effortless. Jerry takes care of all the paperwork and phone calls and can even assist you in canceling your old policy!
Jerry customers save an average of $887 annually after using our free innovative service. So what are you waiting for?
“Since I’m under 25, I thought paying a lot for insurance was normal.
Jerry
made it easy to find affordable insurance. It was even easy to switch insurance agencies. I went to bed and woke up with new insurance.” —Steven C.
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
icon4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars
icon4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers

FAQs

Yes, you have the choice between Lit 97.1 and Jammin’ 99.7 for all your Hip Hop tunes.
99.1 The Sports Animal is your go-to place for Tennessee Vols play-by-play coverage.
Are you overpaying for car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
Try Jerry

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings