My sincere appreciation to the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation for selecting me to receive the Media and Technology Award at this year’s conference, which took place last week on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Manchester.
It was an outstanding event attended by a large crowd of people, including Gov. Andy Beshear, who was the keynote speaker.
WYMT-TV showed a short video of each award winner, and after the video each winner was invited to the stage to accept a nice engraved plaque. Both the video and plaque were exceptionally well done.
When it came my turn to make my presentation, the last thing my wife said to me was, “Don’t talk about me!”
After thanking the Foundation for the award my first sentence was, “I’ve spent over 65 years working in the media and 61 of those years was spent with the support of my beautiful wife Judy,” pointing to her at our table. The statement drew a round of applause.
Regardless of what she told me earlier, I was determined to show my appreciation to her. When I got back to our table she said, “I knew you were going to do that.”
She knows me so well.
After that, I told the audience about my start in 1957 at the University of Kentucky and how the late O. Leonard Press, the head of the Radio-TV department at UK, took me under his wing and mentored me for four years. He gave me a tremendous beginning in the media field. I might add that Press was the founder of the KET television network, and he became my friend for life.
Next, I thanked the Crawford family for my time spent at WCTT and the Corbin Times-Tribune.
From there, it was Al Smith, who purchased the London Sentinel-Echo, that I thanked. Al had to make several calls before I accepted a position at his weekly newspaper. I wasn’t sure about working for a weekly newspaper. It was because of that experience that led me to believe a weekly newspaper could be successful in Corbin. Previous to working at the Sentinel-Echo I had no idea how much readers loved a weekly newspaper.
When Smith sold that newspaper to a New York chain, I had no desire to continue working there.
That is when Terry Forcht offered me the publisher’s job at the Whitley Republican in Williamsburg. I pitched the idea that I would take the job if he was willing to start a new weekly newspaper in Corbin. Keep in mind that no weekly had ever been successful going against the daily in Corbin. I felt we could be successful based on my experience in London.
So, in June 1987 I took the position of publisher of the Whitley Republican. Forcht met every request we made for equipment and space, plus strong support.
First, he purchased the latest in publishing equipment including the new Apple Mac computers. It was a new age and a better way to publish.
I hired the extra staff we would need for the new paper, called Corbin! This Week, a play on the new USA Today. It came out on August 12, 1987 in full color, the first ever full color newspaper in this part of the state.
For me, at age 48, it was the biggest challenge of my life. It took hard work and a good staff. We had that. We signed up thousands of new subscribers. Then, in 1992, we merged the Whitley Republican with Corbin! This Week and it became the News Journal. Our circulation grew to become the largest in the state and has won many awards.
And now it is the only newspaper published In Whitley County.
My final appreciation went to Terry Forcht with whom I’ve been employed for almost 38 years.
Working for him could not have been better. Although I’m officially retired, Terry and I talk regularly about the paper. He never fails to ask how I’m feeling and offer any assistance. I retired four months ago because of health reasons at 85 years of age.
It was a great night for me and I am grateful for it. Also, congratulations to the other award winners.
