Louisville Public Media Announces 50th Anniversary Season for 90.5 WUOL
The station will run special programming through May 2027, including a December membership drive and a series of classical performances at the 21c Museum Hotel.
By Harper Collins ·
Louisville Public Media will mark the 50th anniversary of 90.5 WUOL Classical Louisville with a season of events and special programming scheduled through May 2027. The station first began broadcasting on December 20, 1976, and the upcoming anniversary falls on the same date next year.
The celebration includes an anniversary membership drive in December and a series of Sunday night performances titled New Lens at the 21c Museum Hotel. These events run from February through May 2027. A trivia night is also planned for December 2 at Zanzabar, with tickets going on sale November 9.
Kenya Young, president and chief executive officer of Louisville Public Media, stated that the station has worked to keep classical music free and accessible to the community. She noted that the station has supported local musicians and brought music education into schools. Young said the anniversary belongs to the community that has kept the station on the air and that the organization is committed to reaching more listeners in the next five decades.
WUOL launched from the University of Louisville campus with the goal of adding cultural and educational enrichment to the area. The initial broadcast featured Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony in the National Anthem. The station was made possible by gifts from WHAS Inc., the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the Bingham family, local businesses, and the University of Louisville Foundation.
In its early years, WUOL broadcast from 6 a.m. to midnight and included hours of jazz, Broadway, and NPR programming. It joined WFPK, which had been airing classical music since 1954, as Louisville’s second classical station. By 1986, WUOL became the first local public radio station to broadcast 24 hours a day.
The station merged with WFPL and WFPK in 1993 under the Public Radio Partnership, now known as Louisville Public Media. This entity became the first in the United States to operate three radio stations under a single board of directors and professional management team. WUOL established an internet presence in 1995, making it the first Louisville-area radio station to do so.
In 1996, WFPK switched to the Adult Album Alternative format, leaving WUOL as the primary home for classical music in Louisville. The three stations moved under one roof at 619 S. Fourth St. in downtown Louisville in 1999. In 2015, the station hired an education program manager to deepen its commitment to educational enrichment.
Today, 90.5 WUOL remains the only 24/7 classical music station in Louisville. The station states it is committed to reversing practices that have excluded marginalized music and artists of color from classical programming. Daniel Gilliam, LPM Director of Programming and WUOL host, said the station has been here since 1976 because listeners in Louisville and Southern Indiana want what the station provides.
Gilliam described a unique connection through classical music on the radio that is made by humans for the community. He said the anniversary is about looking ahead and growing the community service for the future. The 50th anniversary celebrations are made possible by LPM members and The Glenview Trust Company.
Upcoming New Lens performances include pianist Lara Downes on February 7, 2027, and bassoonist Joy Guidry on March 7, 2027. D-Composed is scheduled to perform on April 14, 2027, with the location to be announced. Harpist Brandee Younger will perform on May 16, 2027. Anniversary merchandise is available at shop.lpm.org, and donations for the 50th anniversary can be made at lpm.org/wuol50.
