Longtime WKYT News Director Ken Kurtz dies at 95

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Ken Kurtz, the news director who led WKYT to journalistic excellence and ratings dominance in the 1970s and ‘80s, has died at 95 years old.

Born in West Virginia in 1929, Kurtz worked in television news in his home state, Indiana, and South Carolina, before coming to Lexington in 1975.

He was news director and vice president of news for WKYT until 1988. In the year before his retirement, he was director of long-range planning for WKYT and WYMT in Hazard.

“Ken was an intellectual, and he knew that our newscasts needed to be relatable,” said WKYT anchor Bill Bryant, who Kurtz hired 40 years ago. “He also pressed us to explain why something mattered.”

Even after his retirement, Kurtz remained active in journalism organizations, including serving as Kentucky state chair for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Project Sunshine, which focused on freedom of information issues.

“On my first day as news director at WKYT in 2006, Ken walked into my office to meet me,” said WKYT News Director Robert Thomas. “He wanted to introduce himself, share his insight, and ensure that I knew I had big shoes to fill.”

Even though he retired in 1989, Kurtz never stopped sharing stories ideas with the WKYT newsroom.

“He would stop by periodically to talk about how we’re doing and give his feedback,” Thomas said. “He was truly a lifelong journalist, meaning he never stopped caring about the news and WKYT.”

In 2007, Kurtz was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame

During his years as a journalist, Kurtz served as president of the Associated Press Broadcasters of Kentucky and on the board of directors for the Radio and Television News Directors Association, which is now the Radio Television Digital News Association.

He is a graduate of Swarthmore College.

Kurtz died on Monday and is survived by daughters Eli Kurtz of Louisville and Margaret Joyner, who lives in Lexington with her husband Mike.

There will be a private internment service for close family followed by a celebration of life later this year for Kurtz.

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