Habitat for Humanity of Smith County Becomes First Program Sponsor UT Tyler Radio

December 14, 2021

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

Habitat for Humanity of Smith County Becomes First Program Sponsor UT Tyler Radio

Follow @UTTyler Tweet

December 14, 2021

Media Contact: Beverley Golden
Senior Director of Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.566.7303

Habitat for Humanity of Smith County (HFHSC) is the first program sponsor for The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) Radio 99.7 KVUT.

UT Tyler Radio is a community service of UT Tyler that began airing on Sept. 14. Its mission is to educate, enrich, enlighten, inspire and inform. Listeners can tune in at 99.7 or stream at UTTR.org. HFHSC is the sponsor of KVUT’s “Morning Edition,” which airs 6-10 a.m. Monday through Friday.

“I’ve found when I’m out in the public, most people know our name and brand but have many misconceptions about who we are and what we do,” said Jack Wilson, HFHSC CEO. “Our goal in partnering with UT Tyler Radio is to bring a new awareness to a new audience who supports public radio.”

Newcomers to the East Texas region seem delighted they’re able to hear a local public station, according to Lorri Allen, UT Tyler Radio general manager.

“When people become a member, they can easily leave a comment on our website, and many tell us they’ve just moved to or retired in East Texas and are grateful to find us,” Allen said. “They come to 99.7 for the news and stay for the jazz.”
Wilson hopes those listeners will appreciate organizations that sponsor programming and, in turn, support HFHSC.

“By increasing our donor base, we can increase the positive impact we make,” he said. “No other organization in Smith County focuses on the housing needs of our lower income community, including critical repairs for homes occupied by seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.”

Habitat for Humanity of Smith County makes homeownership possible for low-income working families. It has partnered with volunteers and donors to build 115 homes since 1989. It has also completed 1,100+ critical repair projects, making it possible for veterans, seniors and people with disabilities to remain safely in their homes. Visit www.smithcountyhabitat.org for more information.

With a mission to improve educational and healthcare outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as The Health Science Center at UT Tyler). Through its alignment with The Health Science Center at UT Tyler (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these
entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.