STAFF

Dr. Robinson is a Professor in the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication and has been the faculty advisor for WUTM since 2001. He teaches courses in radio broadcasting and public speaking, public relations, and broadcast writing. Robinson worked in the radio industry for 20 years in various roles, including on-air talent, morning show host, news reporter, and sales and programming. He also worked 14 years in state government public relations for the Department of Human Services in his home* state of Arkansas. Robinson was names the University of Tennessee Alumni Association's "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" twice, in 2007 and 2020. In 2020, He was presented with the prestigious University of Tennessee System's President's Award in the category of "Educate."  Robinson holds a bachelor of science journalism from the University of Central Arkansas, a master of arts in journalism (radio-television-film) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Ph.D. in mass communication and media arts from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Mr. Freed is an Instructor in the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication and is the Director of Broadcast Services at UT Martin. He worked in the television industry for many years, including a dual role as the Director of Production for WBBH-TV (NBC) and WZVN-TV (ABC in Ft. Meyers, Florida. As the Director of Broadcast Services, Freed is responsible for all production for ESPN+ sports broadcasts and all other productions at UTM Television, where is serves as the faulty advisor. He is revered as an outstanding photographer, videographer, editor, director, and producer. He has worked as a freelance director for the local PBS affiliate WLJT (West TN PBS). Freed holds membership in the National Press Photographers Association and the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Murray State University. 

Mr. Thomas has been a broadcaster in both radio and television for over 20 years in the West Tennessee and Southwest Kentucky markets. A multifaceted broadcast professional, Thomas has served in the roles of Disc Jockey, Engineer, Digital Director, and Operations Manager positions for nearly two decades in radio. In television, Thomas has produced newscasts, served as a reporter, videographer, and engineer, produced television ads, and has been a technical director for local television programs. Brian holds certifications in both on-air and digital advertising from the Radio Advertising Bureau. In addition to WUTM radio and UTM Television. In 2023, Thomas was honored by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System with the prestigious "Tom Gibson Outstanding Engineer Award." Thomas currently serves part-time roles as a disc jockey, a news writer, a reporter and a weather forecaster. He performs contract work as an engineer for several radio stations across Tennessee. During times of severe weather, Thomas can be found at at ktweather.net tracking storms on his live streams also carried on West Tennessee radio stations. In addition, Thomas is an amateue radio operator and Skywarn storm spotter.

Tracy M. Rutledge is the Department Chair of Mass Media and Strategic Communication. Her teaching and scholarship focus on strategic communication, visual design, and audience engagement. Her research explores the cognitive and affective influences of message design. She studies visual branding. She is particularly interested in examining how consumers and fans react to logo redesigns and the influence of design characteristics on emotional responses to brands. Her scholarly work has been published in the Handbook of Visual Communication and presented at national and international conferences, including the VisComm Conference, the National Communication Association annual conference, and the Association for the Education of Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference.