(BENTON, Ky.) — WCBL Radio has been selected to receive the Dr. Rudy J. Ellis Distinguished Service Award from the Kentucky Athletic Administrators Association, the organization announced.
The KAAA cited WCBL’s dedication, commitment, and service as having made a lasting impact on athletic coverage in the commonwealth. WCBL will be formally recognized at the KAAA’s Award Banquet on April 23rd at the Crowne Plaza in Louisville, where other recipients of this year’s award will also be honored.
Local sports has been a cornerstone of WCBL’s programming since the station first went on the air in 1954. Former owner and general manager Jim Freeland, who joined WCBL in 1969, is widely credited with expanding and enhancing the station’s sports coverage. A skilled play-by-play announcer in his own right, Freeland served as a valued mentor to the many sports broadcasters who passed through the station over the decades. He turned over Sports Director duties to Jeff Waters in 1994, and Waters continues in that role today.
WCBL currently serves as the broadcast home for Marshall County High School Football and Girls and Boys Basketball, along with many Marshall County Softball and Baseball games. Sister station WCCK carries Marshall County Soccer. Coverage across both stations includes extensive pregame and postgame programming, as well as a Saturday morning coaches show.
“WCBL has long considered itself a partner with Marshall County High School and Marshall County Athletics,” Waters said in a statement, “and we are blessed to have such a wonderful working relationship.”
