By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Alan Cutler is one of the top television personalities in Kentucky. He’s also my friend.
Cutler, who will retire after covering the Kentucky Derby for WLEX Channel 18 this week, is well-known for chasing down former Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillespie for an interview after he was fired following a brief two-year stint with the Wildcats nearly a decade ago. Although many considered Cutler’s chase a bit to the extreme, in journalism, it’s simply chasing down a story and Cutler did just that. Fans wanted to hear from Gillespie and Cutler knew it and went the extra mile in an attempt to get a sound bite.
Although sports broadcasters don’t get as much airtime as their news counterparts, behind the scenes, they go above and beyond to get the job done. In my line of work, we get interviews, file stories and then we’re finished until the next deadline. That’s not what it’s like for television folks and I have learned to respect their field of work. They work morning, night and noon and never get enough credit for their work.
During the past few years, I have gotten to know Alan a little better, especially during those pregame press conferences before and after football and basketball games. He’s good at his craft and doesn’t take his job lightly. He’s also a funny guy. He really is.
I remember when I first met Cutler at an Eastern Kentucky men’s basketball games nearly 25 years ago and from the beginning, he was always good to me and it was a mutual respect. Back then, I have to admit I was younger and somewhat intimidated but later came to realize that television personalities are just like us and became less intimidated and became more comfortable being around television personalities and Alan made it a lot easier.
Alan has been a fixture at WLEX-TV for decades and it’s hard to imagine he won’t be on the air after the first Saturday in May. I can still remember watching Alan during those early 1980s at my grandparents’ house and really admired the way he delivered a sports story on the air. When he left, following his first stint at Channel 18, it was different. When he returned to Lexington, it was always good to see him on the air. Doing a standup after a game isn’t easy and Alan always made it look simple and I always admired that.
This past season, my press seat at Rupp Arena was close to Alan and I somehow defied the odds and convinced Alan to drink his bottled water with a straw. It was humorous and very entertaining. It provided a dose of entertainment, especially after those late-night basketball games that began past 9 p.m.
Off the beat, Alan has always been amazed by my metabolism, which seems to be harder and harder to keep in check the older I get. I always admired his ability to turn down those chocolate chip cookies in the press room at Rupp Arena. That’s not an easy thing to do.
It’s hard to believe Alan won’t be on the UK beat next year and he will be missed. Enjoy your retirement, dude.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.