Central Kentucky radio host remembered as soft-spoken yet passionate

John Hingsbergen, whose radio and media career spanned more than 40 years, left an impact at each station where he worked, according to his former colleagues.

A host, program director and assistant general manager in his recent tenure at WEKU-FM 88.9 in Richmond, Hingsbergen died Tuesday night after a heart attack. He was 67.

Roger Duvall, station manager at WEKU, said Hingsbergen did a little bit of everything for the station and that he cared deeply about radio and its impact.

“The thing that keeps coming back to me is how passionate he was for quality radio, the highest-quality standards and the highest-quality substance,” Duvall said. “He also had a real passion for civil discussion. You would sometimes know where he personally fell on an issue, but you only knew if you knew him deeply personally.”

Hingsbergen’s career began in Hamilton, Ohio, where he worked for various stations leading up to stints in Oxford and Dayton, according to a statement from WVXU. In 1987, he worked for the city of Cincinnati as the manager of cable communications, and he rejoined radio in 1997 when he became the director of network relations at WVXU.

He also worked for Miami (Ohio) University as a program director and later for the West Virginia Public Broadcasting before joining WEKU in 2011.

Duvall said he’ll remember Hingsbergen by his dedication to the job, which he often displayed by fine-tuning things at the station at 1 or 2 a.m., he said.

“I told him he should take some time off and take care of himself, and in October we were laughing, and he told me he was ready to take his summer vacation and he took a couple of days off,” Duvall said.

Hingsbergen also served on the Kentucky Broadcasters Association board and was the only member of the 19-person board who came from public radio, KBA president Henry Lackey said.

Despite a large portion of his career in public radio, Hingsbergen had knowledge of each facet of the industry, Lackey said.

“Even though he was soft-spoken, he was extremely smart in all aspects of radio: commercial, technical, fundraising,” he said. “You would think that because he came from public radio, he wouldn’t have much interest in the commercial side of it, but he did.”

Lackey didn’t often have the opportunity to listen to Hingsbergen live on air, but his ears perked up one day when he caught him on the radio while traveling.

“Not only did he have a great voice, but he was very clear, very succinct and smart with his analysis, whether it be an education topic or political science,” Lackey said.

Always respectful to others, according to his peers, Hingsbergen stood his ground and voiced his thoughts about the subjects that mattered most to him, Duvall said.

“I saw someone say that he was a kind, soft-spoken person, and I can see that. He was a very caring man,” Duvall said. “Whenever they say soft-spoken, I appreciate that because it is true, but people who really knew him know he could be very passionate to the standards which he upheld.”

Memorial services are planned in Lexington and Cincinnati, according to WVXU, but they have not yet been announced.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Central Kentucky radio host remembered as soft-spoken yet passionate."