Derek Operle is a New Voice of WKMS

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by Dustin Wilcox

The Art and Science of Journalism

In his young career, Derek Operle has melded his interest in art and storytelling into his new role as a broadcast journalist

WWRITING CAPTURED DEREK OPERLE FROM A YOUNG AGE — but little did he know that proclivity would eventually point him toward broadcasting. Previously a reporter for the Paxton Media Group and Paducah Sun, Derek has served as the news director of the Murray-based NPR-affiliate since November, where he churns out web and radio content for western Kentucky while guiding a reporting team of two professionals and three students. “One of the things that I was really nervous W about coming in was my inexperience in audio, but the staff here has been really helpful, and the transition was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Derek said. But a different medium wasn’t the only challenge Derek faced right out the gate. Tornado coverage dominated the start of the year, sending him to NPR’s Morning Edition and

BBC News less than a month into the role. “I feel like the job was the hardest that it’s ever going to be, and it happened in week three,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll ever be that crazy again in this region — hopefully for a significant period of time if not ever again.” Derek grew up in Graves County and attended school in McCracken County before completing his degree in integrated strategic communications at the University of Kentucky. He cinched his first writing gig at the Lone Oak High School newspaper, dubbed The Oak K, and was a music blogger all through college. While at the Paducah Sun, Derek climbed his way from copy editor to entertainment reporter. He soon after became a “catch-all” reporter, gaining editorial duties and handling some of the Paxton weeklies. As a self-proclaimed arts enthusiast, Derek had hoped in high school he’d eventually write for Rolling Stone. “I love being able to tell ‘people’ stories, and there’s really not a ton of difference fundamentally between telling art stories and telling important, hard-hitting news,” he said. Yet life didn’t quite take him in that direction. Derek has been a dedicated WKMS and NPR listener since high school, so he was especially receptive to working for NPR himself. “This presented a unique opportunity to both fulfill that goal while

also doing something similar to my experiences at UK with the student activities board — staff working with students to put on programs,” he said. During those days, Derek and fellow UK students would propose and plan concerts and other large scale campus events. “Now, I’m sitting on the other side of the desk,” he continued. “I’m helping people like you, people like Zach, even young journalists like Lily and professionals like Liam put together news for a living.” The current newsroom lineup includes Liam Niemeyer as assistant news director and Lily Burris as a tornado recovery reporter, as well as Zacherie Lamb, Mason Galemore and me, Dustin Wilcox, as student reporters. Following five months without a news director, Derek feels the writers are now taking strides toward better production. “Giving structure to a group that was overwhelmed by a hole in the staff is a good first place to start because that gives the staff a foothold to really dig into local journalism that matters,” he said. Part of his plan to reinvigorate the newsroom is assigning a handful of counties for each student reporter to monitor, imbuing a sense of “real journalistic duty” and honing their abilities as story generators. Now 30 years old, Derek remains inextricably linked to the region that raised him. “I love western Kentucky,” Derek said. “There’s a reason I haven’t left.”

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NIKKI MAY is an artist, illustrator, surface designer, and podcaster. After an accidental ten-year career as a creative director for IBM, Nikki moved from Atlanta to Paducah as part of the Artist Relocation Program. She traded cubicles and conference rooms for the Lower Town studio she’s been sharing with a dog named Rocket and a cat named Pixel for nearly two decades. She’s now packing up her studio, along with Rocket and Pixel, to move into a school bus that she’s currently converting into a tiny house on wheels in which to live, work, create, and travel!

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BANKER& CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

JOE FRAMPTOM

WE’RE NOT JUST BANKERS (ALTHOUGH WE ARE PRETTY GOOD ONES).

Paducah Bank Chairman of the Board Joe Framptom was named the Citizen of the Year at the Paducah Chamber’s 2022 annual meeting. The award isn’t presented every year; only when the organization determines there is someone deserving of the distinguished honor. All of us at Paducah Bank know Joe Framptom is most certainly that person! “It would be hard to find a local organization that has not been impacted by Joe Framptom’s leadership,” said CEO Mardie Herndon. “He is a past president of the Kentucky Bankers Association, past president of GPEDC, past president of the Rotary Club of Paducah, and a past director of CSI, just to name a few.” Joe Framptom has dedicated his career to making this a community where people can thrive. As we like to say, WOW! Congratulations to the person whose vision and leadership is synonymous with Paducah Bank!