[3] WUTK-FM signed on in February 1982 from studios located in P-103 of Andy Holt Tower with an antenna on the roof generating 128.7 watts.

All music, news 90 and sports shows on WUTK are volunteer or student-produced, hence nicknamed "Volunteer Radio — 90.3 The Rock" with slogans that include "UT's College of Rock" & "Knoxville's Musical Tastemakers".

The station has received numerous awards and honours from various media outlets including Knoxville News Sentinel, Blank Newspaper, Metro Pulse and College Music Journal.

[5][6][7] For 17 years in a row (2005–2022), WUTK has been voted "Knoxville's Best Radio Station" by three different local publications.

In 2020, WUTK's Twitter & Instagram accounts @WUTKTheRock were named "Knoxville's Finest" by the readers of Blank News.