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KET Founder O. Leonard Press Dies

KET

A giant in the history of public broadcasting in Kentucky has died.  Former WBKY general manager, KET founder and first executive director O. Leonard Press died Wednesday, July 31, at the age of 97.

Press moved to the commonwealth in 1952 to take over as head of broadcast Radio and TV at the University of Kentucky.

Later on, he campaigned for a statewide television station.

The Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation creating the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television in 1962, naming Press as the agency’s first executive director.

On Sept. 26, 1968, KET signed on the air for the first time.

Press was at the helm of KET for nearly 30 years. He retired in 1991.

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