Officer Don joins The Bull's a.m. team

The Bull has a new yet familiar voice in the mornings. Longtime Lexington personality Officer Don Evans has replaced JD Pelletier as co-host of WBUL's morning show. Pelletier left the station in January for family reasons, as his oldest son was accepted into a prestigious high school in Florida. Evans and morning co-host DeAnn Stephens are on the air at 98.1 FM from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Watch anywhere

Lexington cable provider Insight Communications has unveiled a new service that allows multi-room access to programs stored on digital video recorders. Users can record up to six shows at once using three receivers. They can stop a recording in one room and resume watching it from the same spot in a different one, said Insight spokesman Jason Keller. The service requires monthly fees of $10 and an additional $7 per box.

John McGary a comedian? No joke

Former area news reporter John McGary is showcasing a new talent that might surprise longtime viewers. McGary has begun doing stand-up comedy at area venues, including Natasha's Bistro & Bar.

"It's difficult to tell whether folks in the audience recognize me from television, partly because I don't usually have my glasses on and everything's a blur," he said. "The first minute or two is a little nerve-wracking, which is funny because I was rarely nervous on television, even during live shots."

His next show is June 22 at Natasha's, and each performance raises funding for animal charities. "I'm an animal lover from way back," said McGary, who recently lobbied for the Kentucky chapter of The Humane Society of the United States during the legislative session.

New programs at KET

KET's newest documentary, Thoroughbred, will be broadcast nationwide on PBS at 9 p.m. May 5. The documentary follows individuals and horses for a year leading up to the 2009 Derby. It was directed by filmmaker Paul Wagner, who won an Academy Award in 1985 for best documentary/short subjects for The Stone Carvers.

KET also recently began airing a show highlighting Kentucky-made products and in-state travel destinations. The half-hour Go Local is hosted by actress Amy Hess and directed by Jason Epperson. For air times, visit Ket.org, or visit Golocalshow.com to learn more about the program.

KET leader honored for advocacy

KET leader Shae Hopkins recently received the 2011 National Advocacy Award from the Association of Public Television Stations. The group noted Hopkins and her staff enlisted hundreds of KET's supporters to talk up the need for public television funding in recent congressional debates.

"This honor belongs to KET's boards and volunteers who are tireless and highly effective community advocates," Hopkins said in a statement. "And it certainly belongs to the staff at KET. ..."

New show on WEKU

Public radio station WEKU recently launched a new hour-long talk show called Eastern Standard. The show examines locally important issues, such as the future of tobacco and the debt burden of Kentucky-owned universities. Eastern Standard airs at 1 p.m. Fridays.

Comings and goings

■ Former WKYT reporter Andy Cunningham is returning to the CBS affiliate. He left in 2009 for a job at a San Antonio, Texas, station. But he's returning because "he personally and professionally really enjoyed his time in Lexington at WKYT," said WKYT News Director Robert Thomas. Cunningham replaces Janet Kim, who took a job in Nashville.

■ As one returns, though, another leaves. WKYT reporter Tamara Evans has taken a job at WDRB, the Fox affiliate in Louisville. A search is underway for her replacement.

■ WTVQ morning meteorologist Mary Wasson is leaving the ABC affiliate in late May for a position at Your News Now in Austin, Texas. The station is a 24-hour news, weather and sports channel operated by Time Warner Cable.

■ Insight Communications has hired former television news reporter Lanny Brannock to be a full-time producer for its Pure Politics show on CN|2. Brannock, a former Frankfort reporter for WKYT and also a reporter in Louisville, will do some occasional reporting.

■ WLEX salesman Paul Fast recently retired after nearly 40 years at the NBC affiliate. Though he worked behind the scenes of a news station, he made major headlines himself in July 1989 as a survivor of one of the worst airline crashes in U.S. history. United Airlines Flight 232 broke apart during an emergency landing in Iowa, killing more than 100 aboard. He walked away from the crash.

First-time parents

Congratulations go out to a few expecting parents. WTVQ evening anchor Megan Skaggs and her husband, WKYT reporter Dave Spencer, are expecting their first child, a boy, in mid-June. WTVQ meteorologist Geoff Cornish and his wife are expecting their first child May 8. The couple don't know the gender yet. "We wanted to be surprised," he said.

This story was originally published April 18, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Officer Don joins The Bull's a.m. team."