[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7210-7211]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO STEVE NEWBERRY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
longtime friend and a fixture of the broadcasting industry in Kentucky 
and nationally, Mr. Steve Newberry. For more than 25 years, Steve, a 
resident of Hiseville, KY, has been a leader in Kentucky radio. He has 
earned the respect and admiration of his peers in the Commonwealth and 
throughout the country many times over. I am sad to note that next 
month, Steve will complete his service on the board of directors of the 
National Association of Broadcasters.
  Over the course of his career, Steve has helped lead radio and 
television broadcasters on a national level, and he has had a 
significant impact on the broadcasting industry. This was recognized 
when in 2011 Steve received from his peers the prestigious National 
Radio Award, which is given annually

[[Page 7211]]

to an outstanding leader in the radio industry.
  Steve loved radio from an early age. He began his broadcasting career 
at the age of 14, when he got a job working at the local radio station 
in his hometown of Glasgow, KY. His parents were supportive of Steve's 
dream and drove him to work at that first job.
  By the age of 21, Steve owned his first radio station. When he bought 
it, it was a 250-watt AM station that only broadcast in the daytime. 
Steve soon upgraded it to 500 watts and 24 hours of broadcasting a day.
  Steve attended the University of Kentucky, where he received a 
bachelor's degree in telecommunications. While completing his senior 
year, he bought WKVE, an AM station in Cave City. Today he is the 
president and CEO of Commonwealth Broadcasting, based in Glasgow, and 
owns and operates 22 radio stations throughout the Bluegrass State.
  As his business grew, Steve became more and more engaged in 
broadcasting industry matters. He was first elected to the board of 
directors of the National Association of Broadcasters, NAB, in 1999. He 
would go on to serve as part of the board's leadership, chairman of the 
board, and ultimately as the NAB joint board chairman, the 
association's top industry leadership post. Steve also served on the 
board of directors and executive committees for the Radio Advertising 
Bureau.
  Steve's community service in Kentucky is equally impressive. He has 
served as the chairman of the Authority for Kentucky Educational 
Television and has worked with the Glasgow-Barren County Industrial 
Development Economic Authority, the Glasgow Rotary Club, and the 
Glasgow-Barren County Boys & Girls Club.
  Steve is a past president of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association 
and in 2009 received their highest honor, the Distinguished Kentuckian 
Award. And as I already stated, Mr. President, in 2011 he received the 
very high honor from his peers of the prestigious National Radio Award.
  It is the Commonwealth's loss that in June, Steve will end his 
service on the NAB board of directors. Whatever endeavors may lay ahead 
for him, I know he will dispatch them with the same success that has 
marked his career to date. I am sure his family, including his wife 
Vickie and his son Walker, are very proud of him.
  Steve Newberry is one of Kentucky's finest broadcasters and a man of 
integrity. I know my colleagues in the Senate join me in congratulating 
him for his dedication to the radio profession, to his community, and 
to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

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