David Beck has spent his life helping Kentuckians come together. His career spans four decades with Kentucky Farm Bureau and now seven years as the president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, the organization that manages the Kentucky International Convention Center and Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

“In a state like ours, with limited resources, we have to understand and respect that we need the rural parts of our state as well as the urban areas and what they each bring to the table,” he says.

KET continues to focus on Kentucky, and I value that and look to (KET) as a good source of information.

David Beck

A powerful partner in that endeavor, according to Beck, is KET. From educational programming that benefits learners of all ages to public-policy discussions on Kentucky Tonight, Beck says KET helps people understand issues and opportunities facing the state.

“In this day and time, less state news is available. Local papers have cut back and there’s more of a national perspective,” says the Lyon County native. “KET continues to focus on Kentucky, and I value that and look to (KET) as a good source of information.”

Over his career, Beck has worked with ten governors and countless Frankfort and Washington lawmakers, which prepared him for the honor of emceeing the Fancy Farm political speeches in 2023. He says KET’s broadcasts of it have provided an essential service to voters.

“It’s important that people around the Commonwealth get to hear the candidates in that setting,” he says. “The more I know about the candidate, the more I know about your priorities, the more I know about how you can handle a situation like [Fancy Farm with hecklers] helps me better prepare when I … get ready to cast my vote.”

Beck says he’s a regular viewer of Comment on Kentucky, and he values KET’s comprehensive coverage of local and statewide elections. He also loves the outdoor adventures on Kentucky Afield as well as the Movie Classics features on Saturday nights. Although he’s visited all of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Beck says he always discovers something new about his home state by watching KET.

“You’ll be amazed what you might learn and what it might inspire your thought process to be as you learn more about our Commonwealth, our successes as well as our challenges,” says Beck. “So, we’ve got a real jewel here in Kentucky.”