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Scenic Roots
Mondays - Thursdays / 3 PM - 4 PM
Hosted by Ray Bassett

Scenic Roots offers conversations that matter in the heart of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.

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"Scenic Roots" offers conversations that matter in the heart of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.

From the mountains to the river, our conversations are rooted deep within every corner of our community - reflecting who we are, who we were and who we can become.

We engage with the news that affects our community, behind and beyond the headlines.  We build bridges that span from creators and innovators to storytellers and the outdoors.  We focus on our challenges as many communities in one - as we celebrate what inspires us.  We resonate with countless voices - in words and spaces, sounds and songs.

We are "Scenic Roots."

  • Ray Bassett hosts and produces "Scenic Roots" at WUTC. 
Latest Episodes
  • Scenic Roots - Weds 10/19/22
    Scenic Roots - Weds 10/19/22
    Jenna DeVries brings “Haute Halloween” to Coosa Mill. Richard Winham on UTC’s Meacham Writers’ Workshop. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”
  • Dr. Saeid Golkar
    A Long View From The UTC Campus On Iran’s Protests
    A native of Iran who teaches on our campus here at UTC shares his thoughts on the protests in the country where he was born. Our own Mal O'Connell spoke with him.
  • A loaf of bread and a knife.
    A Timely Talk For Our Era: “What’s Grain Got To Do With It?”
    Russia’s war in Ukraine is a timely reminder of how grain has built and toppled nations and empires for centuries. A panel discussion - titled, “What’s Grain Got to Do With It?” - touches on that history, as well as grain production in our region.
  • Nina Klimenkova and Arsen Martyshchuk on the UTC campus.
    Grad Students From Ukraine, Living And Learning At UTC
    This semester, two graduate students from war-torn Ukraine joined our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Arsen Martyshchuk is pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree in the Department of Political Science and Public Service. Nina Klimenkova is pursuing an MBA in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.
  • Scenic Roots - Tues 10/18/22
    Scenic Roots - Tues 10/18/22
    Grad students from Ukraine, living and learning at UTC. A timely talk for our era: “What’s Grain Got To Do With It.” A long view from the UTC campus on the protests in Iran. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”
  • Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center.
    For TrailBlazUS Outdoors, “90’s By Nature” And The Road For 2023
    At the end of this month, 90’s by Nature returns to Chattanooga’s outdoors. This year’s nature party with a nostalgic music twist - presented by TrailBlazUS Outdoors - takes place on Saturday, October 29th, starting at 4:30 PM, at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center.
  • The wooden sculpture for this year’s “Fire Up the Fields.”
    At Sculpture Fields, The Burning Time Of The Year Is Here
    Visit Sculpture Fields at Montague Park in Chattanooga - and you’ll see a 40-foot tall structure made of wood. Designed and constructed by a local artist, it is the centerpiece of this weekend’s “Fire Up the Fields Sculpture Burn” - a free event for the community on Saturday, starting at 5 PM.
  • Roberto Venegas, seated in center front, holding a jersey during a visit to The Howard School in 2021.
    Raíces: A Conversation With Roberto Venegas Of Bliones
    Roberto Venegas is the CEO of Bliones, a marketing firm that serves entrepreneurs in the Latino community here in Chattanooga. I spoke with him recently during Hispanic Heritage Month, for our conversation series “Raíces” - in collaboration with La Paz Chattanooga.
  • Scenic Roots - Mon 10/17/22
    Scenic Roots - Mon 10/17/22
    Raíces: Roberto Venegas, CEO of marketing firm Bliones. At Sculpture Fields, the burning time of the year is here. “90’s by Nature” returns outdoors at Reflection Riding. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”
  • The flag of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
    Origins Of The Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians
    Next week, Anita Finger-Smith - a researcher who specializes in the records of the Eastern Cherokee - will be the next speaker in this fall’s Moccasin Bend Lecture Series from National Park Partners - on Monday at 7 PM at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater in Chattanooga.