Former Head of WDBJ-TV, Who Shepherded Station through On-air Shooting, to Give Creason Lecture
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 12, 2016) — The general manager of a Virginia television station who led his staff through the murder of two coworkers will deliver the 39th Creason Lecture at the University of Kentucky on April 19.
Jeffrey Marks, a native of Lexington and graduate of the UK School of Journalism and Telecommunications, returns to his alma mater a year after he was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.
From 2007 until earlier this year, Marks served as general manager for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. He became the public face of the station when a disgruntled former employee murdered reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward during a live morning newscast.
“Jeffrey Marks has lived a remarkable career in broadcasting that has taken him from Louisville, to Washington, New York and finally Virginia,” said Lars Willnat, director of the UK School of Journalism and Telecommunications. “His experiences and his remarkable leadership after the murder of two of his employees will provide a rich background for his lecture. This is a great opportunity for our students to view the world of journalism from the perspective of a true leader.”
The Creason Lecture is delivered annually by a prominent journalist. The series honors the memory of Joe Creason, an outstanding journalist at the Louisville Courier-Journal, known for his wit, his friendly manner and his love of Kentucky. He was a UK alumnus (1940) and served as president of the UK Alumni Association (1969-70). The lecture series began shortly after Creason’s death in 1974, and with one exception, has continued each year.
The lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Memorial Hall on the UK campus. The public is invited and admission is free.
Marks graduated from UK in 1974 and was hired at WHAS in Louisville. He worked there as a reporter, editorial writer and senior producer for the television news department.
His career has included stops in Washington, D.C.; one year with the NBC stations in Maine; and News 12 Networks in New Jersey and New York. Earlier this year, WDBJ’s parent company was purchased by Gray Television, and Marks now is director of talent development for the company.
The Creason Lecture concludes the journalism school’s annual celebration of the best of the profession. Nine journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize winner and several UK alumni, will be inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame at a noon luncheon at The Grand Reserve, 903 Manchester St. #190, in Lexington.
Tickets are $35 and may be ordered online at www.ukalumni.net/journalismhalloffame or by contacting June Horn at 859-257-1730.
Members of the 2016 class of inductees are the late Jim Bolus, remembered for his coverage of the Derby and horse racing; Tom Eblen, Lexington Herald-Leader columnist and former managing editor; Mike Edgerly, executive editor of Minnesota Public Radio; the late Angelo Henderson, who won a Pulitzer Prize while reporting for the Wall Street Journal; Tony Lococo, Louisville Trinity High School journalism adviser; Bill Straub, former Kentucky Post Frankfort and Washington correspondent; Chuck and Donna Stinnett, of The Gleaner in Henderson; and Don White, former editor of the Anderson News, whose newspaper is credited with reducing the incidence of drunken driving in the Lawrenceburg community.
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu