“I have no recollection of life without politics,” says Laura Emberton Owens. The Metcalfe County native grew up immersed in Kentucky’s political scene as the daughter of the late Tom Emberton, an aide to Gov. Louie Nunn, the Republican candidate for governor in 1971 and a judge for many years on the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

For Owens, KET has been an essential source of political coverage from her childhood days through her own career as a teacher, a cabinet secretary in state government, and, currently, as Senior Partner with JYB3 Group in Frankfort.

KET, without question, is a great resource for so many things. Not just politics, which is my world, but as a resource to learn about Kentucky. It’s definitely a gem that needs to be valued by all Kentuckians.

Laura Emberton Owens

Springtime in the capital city means the General Assembly is concluding and candidates are gearing up for the primary election in May. Owens follows KET daily during the session for live broadcasts of committee meetings as legislation makes its way to final votes in the House and Senate.

“Right now is that dicey time of session where one bill turns into another bill – and if you’re not watching, you don’t know,” she notes. “And so KET allows not just me to do my job, but it provides access to anybody who has an interest in what’s happening around them.”

As Primary Election Day approaches, Owens says that KET’s reputation for nonpartisan, policy-based coverage gives every person in the Commonwealth the opportunity to become informed about where candidates stand on important issues.

“KET gives us the opportunity to be educated voters, and I think it’s everybody’s responsibility to be educated about what you’re voting on,” she says. “You often hear people say, ‘Voting is a right or voting is a privilege’. I think those two are interchangeable.”

Beyond politics, Owens appreciates KET’s nearly 60-year history of providing programming for Kentuckians across 120 counties, from educational resources vital to classroom instruction to arts programming and specials such as Jim Host: Game Changer, which traces the life and impact of the sports media pioneer who served as Tom Emberton’s lieutenant governor running mate in 1971.

“KET, without question, is a great resource for so many things,” Owens says. “Not just politics, which is my world, but as a resource to learn about Kentucky. It’s definitely a gem that needs to be valued by all Kentuckians.”