The Board of Directors of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association have named Henry Lackey as the new KBA President/CEO. Henry becomes only the fourth leader of the KBA in the past seventy-five years, succeeding Gary White who retired this fall.

 

Henry is no stranger to radio in Kentucky. His family was among Kentucky's earliest pioneers in broadcasting. His father and two uncles founded radio stations in Paducah (1930), Hopkinsville (1940), and Henderson (1941) and were instrumental as founding fathers of the KBA in the early 1940's. Henry is a former board member and Chairman of the KBA and is also a recipient of the Kentucky Mic Award, KBA's highest honor.

 

Henry begin working in radio when he was eight years-old. From engineering to sales to play-by-play, Henry has literally done every job inside a radio station. After earning his B.A. in Telecommunications from the University of Kentucky and his M.A. in Broadcast Management from Michigan State University, Henry worked briefly in television in Lexington, Dayton, and Louisville before returning to manage the family stations, WSON-AM/FM, in Henderson. He sold his FM in 1985, and continued to build WSON-AM into one of Kentucky's most successful community radio stations before selling it in 2010.

 

In addition to his many accomplishments in broadcasting, Henry has a distinguished record of public service. He has served his hometown as both a city commissioner and Mayor of Henderson. Henry also represented the folks back home by serving eight years in the Kentucky State Senate. Most recently, Henry served as Deputy Commissioner of Aviation for Kentucky under Gov. Steve Beshear.

 

Henry is an aviation enthusiast. He has held a private pilot's license for 39 years and is instrument certified having logged more than 7,500 hours of flight time. He keeps his plane hangered in Frankfort.

 

Henry had this to say: "I'm thrilled and honored to earn this appointment as President/CEO of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association. I've always been full of energy and excitement for the radio and television industry. During the more than 20 years I served on the KBA Board of Directors, I've had the honor of seeing great growth of many fine member service programs. My pledge is to give you the best of my talents and abilities and to continue to grow our association."

 

Current KBA Chairman Chris Winkle offered this: "Henry's unmatched passion and decades of experience, from both a broadcasting and political background, are precisely what the Association needs during this time of transition and new leadership."

 

Henry will begin his new duties on January 4th.