[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5529-S5530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DAVE ``BUZZ'' BAKER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Kentucky Broadcasters Association, 
the Commonwealth's premier representative for our State's public and 
commercial radio and television stations, recently announced their 2022 
Hall of Fame inductees. My good friend Dave ``Buzz'' Baker, WKYT's 
sports anchor, is one of those honored this year and joined the ranks 
of some of Kentucky's finest broadcast journalists. Today, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring Dave for his service to our State and 
congratulating him on achieving this high honor.
  Dave came to Kentucky in 1978 to attend school at Georgetown College 
and, after joining WKYT after graduating, has since called the 
Bluegrass State home. He must have realized quickly that, for a career 
in sports journalism, few places offer such enthusiastic fans or such 
riveting rivalries. As a Lexington sports reporter, he reserved special 
focus for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, tracking UK athletics 
through their highs and lows over four decades of first-rate 
journalism.
  During his time at WKYT, Dave has had the opportunity to report from 
five Final Four Championships and three National Championships, 
following UK all across the country to keep fans updated. In March 
2008, he found himself on the sidelines of the SEC Men's Basketball 
Tournament when a tornado hit the Georgia Dome, certainly one of his 
more harrowing experiences on the job. His broadcasting extends beyond 
basketball, from UK football, to professional wrestling, including 
interviews with Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. He has had quite the 
memorable career.
  Today, as WKYT's sports anchor, he broadcasts to Lexington's sports-
hungry audiences twice every weekday. He also hosts UK Sports Networks' 
``Countdown to Tip-Off Show'' on the school's radio network and his own 
``Sports Buzz'' podcast. In short, he is one of the most recognizable 
faces and voices of UK sports. His four-decade legacy at WKYT is so 
legendary that he earned a proclamation earlier this year from 
Lexington's mayor on his

[[Page S5530]]

40th anniversary with the station, naming that day Dave ``Buzz'' Baker 
Day in the city.
  I also applaud Dave's work outside the television station. Using the 
trust and affection he has earned from his viewers, he has worked with 
Kentucky State government leaders to help promote safe, responsible 
behavior at the Commonwealth's high schools and colleges.
  I thank Dave for his strong reporting on Kentucky athletics and join 
all of his viewers and listeners in congratulating him on his most 
recent honor from the Kentucky Broadcasters Association.

                          ____________________