Concepts That Are Inconvenient to the Country

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Neil Middleton for his distinguished and award-winning career in journalism, as a longtime trusted news broadcaster and vice president of WYMT-TV, a CBS affiliate in Hazard, Kentucky.

Broadcasting from the heart of Kentucky's Appalachian region, the station's call letters, WYMT, stand for We're Your Mountain Television. It is much more than an acronym. It is the station's mission.

WYMT-TV has become synonymous with the very region it serves, thanks in large part to the leadership and journalistic integrity of Neil Middleton and those who blazed a trail for news coverage and weather alerts in one of the most rural areas of the United States.

In an expansive region separated by mountainous terrain, national media outlets have only made their way to Appalachia after major disasters, while others have blistered our communities by drudging up negative stereotypes that have misrepresented our beloved hometowns that are filled with hardworking, innovative, and extremely talented people.

As both well-known and unknown reporters from around the country have breezed in and out of our region for 15 seconds of fame, it is WYMT that has earned the trust of southern and eastern Kentuckians since the station first signed onto the air in 1985.

They have not only provided lifesaving weather alerts during catastrophic floods and tornadoes but they have also followed their news coverage with fundraising telethons, using the power of the airwaves to collect vital donations to help our communities recover in the wake of disaster.

WYMT has also built a reputation for holding local State and Federal leaders accountable in the public eye, while not only providing critical news to the region in every newscast but also celebrating our victories in regional development and success.

Thanks to their central location in the region, mountain student athletes have had an exclusive highlight real on the station's ``Sports Overtime'' program, swelling up pride through every rural county for student athletes who get little notoriety elsewhere.

In fact, that is where Neil Middleton started his broadcast television news career in 1987. He drove across the mountains from Harlan County every day to cover news and sports in southeastern Kentucky for WYMT and WKYT-TV in Lexington.

Starting out as a radio DJ in high school, Neil worked his way up the ranks as a broadcaster, eventually taking over the helm of WYMT as vice president and general manager. Under his leadership, WYMT achieved a record-breaking growth in advertising sales. He expanded newscasts, sports, and weather. Neil developed new digital media assets and earned countless accolades including regional Emmy awards.

The Associated Press has also recognized Neil's personal excellence in journalism with numerous awards throughout his career. His same passion and work for the region has also been recognized by the Kentucky National Guard, local chambers of commerce, and many others.

Over the last four decades, Neil's passion to serve Kentucky's Appalachian region has reached far beyond the news desk. He has served as a board member for several organizations in the region, including The Center for Rural Development, One East Kentucky, Alice Lloyd College, Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, East Kentucky Leadership Foundation, the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Associated Press, among others.

As Neil closes this chapter of his career at WYMT, I want to express my deepest gratitude for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to Kentucky's Appalachian region. With every breath, he has advocated for growth and development in the mountains, understanding the value of every investment here and, likewise, the pain of every opportunity sent away from central Appalachia.

Madam Speaker, it has been an honor to work in tandem with Neil on many projects, including a hard-fought battle to add WYMT to satellite broadcast in select areas to ensure local people have access to news and weather alerts close to home. Neil should take great pride in his efforts to make southern and eastern Kentucky a better place to live.

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