Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones announced Friday that he will not run for U.S. Senate in 2020, ending months of speculation over whether he … ", a nightly sports and news recap program on WLEX-TV in Lexington, since also syndicated to WBNA in Louisville. The Kentucky Senate race may have heated up after Jones was forced off the air due to an FEC complain from the state's GOP. [12] In response, the next day, Jones announced that WLEX had permanently ended his run as host of "Hey Kentucky! LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) website is starting a new chapter after founder Matt Jones announced that he sold it. Jones withdrew before the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020 . Kentucky Sports Radio Host Matt Jones bows out of U.S. Senate bid", https://www.wdrb.com/news/matt-jones-off-kentucky-tv-show-while-he-mulls-senate/article_7fc68663-d7dd-5c32-ab00-5412f124cd62.html, "Kentucky sports radio host plans book-length rebuke of Mitch McConnell", "Today WLEX made the decision to end my time as host of @hey_kentucky due my decision to write the "Mitch, Please" book. "[5] Unlike Grimes, whose interview was in-studio, McConnell's interview was a spur-of-the-moment, unannounced phone call to the program two weeks later that was described as "emotional and combative. [10] This public flirtation with the 2020 U.S. Senate race caused WLEX to permanently remove him from his role as host of "Hey Kentucky!”. [3] On "Hey Kentucky! ” read a statement from WLEX Vice President and General Manager Pat Dalbey. Kentucky senior offensive tackle Landon Young is one of six finalists for the 11th Annual Pop Warner College Football Award, the Pop Warner Little Scholars announced today. [14][15], American attorney, radio host and restaurateur, WDRB, 'Matt Jones off Kentucky TV show while he mulls Senate race,' Jul 17, 2019, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "This Liberal Sports Radio Host Thinks He Can Take Down Mitch McConnell", "Listen to Alison Lundergan Grimes on Kentucky Sports Radio", "Meet the Sports Host Who Could Decide the McConnell-Grimes Matchup", "Is Matt Jones in for a 'rude awakening' if he challenges Mitch McConnell for Senate? Jones has said "I wish the people that I love didn’t like Donald Trump, but I understand why they do," and claims to regularly talk to more conservatives than any other progressive in the U.S., estimating that 80% of his listeners voted for Trump in 2016. Jones bounced around several smaller radio shows before then launching KSR as a radio show in 2010. A big appearance for KSR’s hoodie-wearing creator, Matt unstuck to sports to talk about winning back rural America. Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones is forming an exploratory committee for a potential U.S. Senate bid against Mitch McConnell in 2020.. Jones, a … [11] On August 15, Jones announced that he had been approached to write a book and had accepted. I will continue to pursue my passions and beliefs, regardless of the result.”. “I’m going to decide shortly,” Jones said. A U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court's decision to toss a college basketball referee’s lawsuit against Kentucky Sports Radio, Matt Jones and Drew Franklin over death threats. "[13], The aforementioned Politico story added,[1].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. Last week, Jones said he still was thinking about a Senate run in which he would take on McGrath in the primary and potentially McConnell in the general election. By WKYT News Staff. ” read a statement from WLEX Vice President and General Manager Pat Dalbey. Matt Jones says he has sold Kentucky Sports Radio. Jones bounced around several smaller radio shows before then launching KSR as a radio show in 2010. The third result is Matt S Jones age 30s in Brentwood, TN in the Brentwood neighborhood. Mitch McConnell opponent Matt Jones battles over Kentucky … By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, announced last week that he was writing a book titled, “Mitch, Please!”, removed from hosting the show temporarily. I will continue to pursue my passions and beliefs, regardless of the result", "Kentucky Sports Radio is opening a sports bar in Lexington called ... KSBar and Grille", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Jones_(radio_host)&oldid=994038553, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2019, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 December 2020, at 20:21. In a 2018 interview for Politico Magazine, he recalled one prominent member of Congress telling the attendees that positions on issues were far less important than campaign fundraising; Jones would call this "one of the most depressing things [he'd] ever heard. Jones' criticism of Kentucky political figures is not limited to Republicans; he has publicly labeled the state's Democratic Party as "a disaster". “Matt Jones is no longer with ‘Hey Kentucky!' "[1], He had also considered running for the U.S. Senate seat held by McConnell in 2020,[7][8] but announced on November 15, 2019 that he would not enter the race. host Matt Jones will be pulled from his weeknight television show while he considers making a run for U.S. Senate, according to LEX 18 general manager Patrick Dalbey. He is a proponent of Obamacare and marijuana legalization, generally an advocate of free trade and lowering the corporate tax, bullish on union rights and a vocal opponent of corporate welfare. After graduating from Duke Law School, Jones returned to Kentucky to practice law before founding Kentucky Sports Radio (colloquially known by its initials "KSR"), a website and radio show dedicated to sports coverage involving the University of Kentucky Wildcats, in 2005. Hey Kentucky! [9] Jones had gone so far as to attend a "boot camp" for potential Democratic candidates in Washington, D.C. during the lead-in to the House race, but the experience left him disillusioned with the national Democratic Party. The radio show's flagship stations are WKJK in Louisville and WLAPin Lexington and is syndicated to 50 radio stations in 37 marke… Published: Dec. 1, 2020 at 12:26 PM EST | Updated: Dec. 1, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST News. Jones, who will continue to host his popular radio show that airs across Kentucky, created “Hey Kentucky!” three years ago. 28 records in 28 cities for Matt Jones in Kentucky. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Lexington's WLEX TV station announced Friday that Matt Jones has permanently been released from his own show, "Hey, Kentucky." Since founding Kentucky Sports Radio, Jones has used his media platform to discuss both sports and politics. Contact info for Matt Jones in Louisville, Kentucky: Phone number, address lookup, email address, and social networking profiles on Spokeo, your people search engine for contact info & public records. After graduating from Duke Law School, Jones returned to Kentucky to practice law before founding Kentucky Sports Radio (colloquially known by its initials "KSR"), a website and radio show dedicated to sports coverage involving the University of Kentucky Wildcats, in 2005. Jones has stated that he thinks this debate, three weeks before the primary election, contributed to Matt Bevin's 86 vote primary victory. Matt Jones (seen at left above), known for his Kentucky Sports Radio show (and the accompanying Twitter handle and website), is taking time off from that show after Republican Kentucky … The Kentucky Sports Radio website is under new ownership, according to founder Matt Jones. The book, tentatively titled Mitch, Please!, would take him around all of Kentucky's 120 counties in order to make his case that Sen. McConnell had failed the citizens of Kentucky. In 2014, he hosted live one-on-one conversations with both incumbent then-Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and his challenger Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. “As a broadcaster of … Jones, a liberal radio host who is mulling a run for Senate, announced last week that he was writing a book titled, “Mitch, Please!” It plans to chronicle what Jones sees as McConnell’s negative impact on Kentucky. “When Amy McGrath is backed by the Democratic establishment, you’re looking at trying to take down two establishments, and that’s harder.”. We’re told McWhorter was one of the founding investors and directors in 247Sports prior to its acquisition. Matthew Harper Jones (born August 28, 1978) is an American attorney, businessman, radio host, author, and the owner and founder of Kentucky Sports Radio in Lexington, Kentucky. Matt Jones, the liberal host of a popular sports radio show in Kentucky, was off the air Thursday following a complaint by the Kentucky Republican Party … Needless to say, he and his team are the underdogs. Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones, who's toyed with the idea of running for Senate next year against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in … Matt Jones says he has sold Kentucky Sports Radio website. “Matt Jones, host of Kentucky Sports Radio and author of Mitch, Please!, explains… Jones graduated summa cum laude from the Duke University School of Law. At a Democratic banquet held the night before the 2016 Fancy Farm picnic, he blasted the party for abandoning working-class voters, focusing on liberal strongholds in Louisville and Lexington, and compromising on core values to appeal to conservatives. KSR’s own Matt Jones was a special guest on the new episode of “Yang Speaks,” a podcast by former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. ", "Jones and Jennings show how partisan politics can be fair, entertaining", "How A Sports Radio Show Became A Must Stop For Kentucky Politics", "He's not running. Matt Jones is an attorney and founder of Kentucky Sports Radio, home of the most popular program in the state. The top city of residence is Louisville, followed by Lexington. In the hours after Matt Jones, the prominent liberal sports radio host from Kentucky, announced he was forced to take a leave of absence from the … Matt Jones, right, host of the “Hey, Kentucky” sports radio program, talks with his broadcasting partner Ryan Lemond during the show in Fancy Farm, Ky., … The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. I disagree strongly with this decision but it is what it is. On Friday, WLEX announced Jones no longer will appear as a host on nightly topical and debate show “Hey Kentucky!”, Kentucky sports radio host plans book-length rebuke of Mitch McConnell, “Matt Jones is no longer with ‘Hey Kentucky!' Matt Jones Sells Kentucky Sports Radio. Jones noted that selling the site was a difficult decision, but one that he believes in the best interest for the future of KSR, its writers and readers. Published: Dec. 1, 2020 at 10:41 AM EST LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - … ", Jones was joined nightly by rotating co-hosts, with some overlap with the KSR radio show. "[5], The next year, Jones hosted a Republican gubernatorial primary debate between the four candidates vying to win the Republican nomination for Kentucky Governor. [7][8] He was courted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to run for the 6th district U.S. House seat occupied by Representative Andy Barr in 2016 but ultimately declined to run. They have also lived in Owensboro, KY and Lexington, KY. Matt is related to Spurgeon L Jones and Micah Jones as well as 3 additional people. These stances almost universally find root not in party allegiance but in the effect on Kentucky’s working class, a mooring so deep that Jones says he would vote against his personal beliefs in the Senate—on coal, for instance—if he felt it was in the best interest of his constituents. [1], In addition to the radio show, website, and televised program, Jones also started a sports bar in Lexington that is modeled after the KSR brand called Kentucky Sports Bar & Grille, colloquially known as "KSBar". Now, Jones will not return to the TV show regardless of whether he runs for public office. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – A judge has dismissed NCAA basketball official John Higgins' federal lawsuit against Kentucky Sports Radio and its operators, Matt Jones … He was removed from hosting the show temporarily last month as he considered a Senate run. Matt Jones announced Tuesday morning he has made the decision to sell KSR to Stuart McWhorter. Jones attended Transylvania University on a full scholarship before receiving a scholarship to Duke Law School, where he graduated second in his class. Jones was born and raised in Middlesboro, Kentucky; his mother practiced law in nearby Pineville, serving as the Commonwealth Attorney for Bell County. ", In response, Jones tweeted, “I disagree strongly with this decision, but it is what it is. Following his announcement of a book critical of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Matt Jones will no longer host a daily TV show in Lexington, Ky., about sports and politics, the Lexington NBC affiliate announced. “As a broadcaster of balanced and unbiased news and information, WLEX has an obligation to fairness across its platforms, and we believe this decision is consistent with that commitment. The award was established in 2010 to recognize a graduating senior who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community, and serves… In his announcement about the sale, Jones said: LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDKY) – KentuckySportsRadio.com has a new owner. [2] From September 2016 until July 2019, Jones also hosted "Hey Kentucky! [1] After graduation from Duke, Jones returned to Lexington to practice law and began Kentucky Sports Radio. When Matt Jones, the show’s … According to one person familiar with the deliberations, the campaign of Amy McGrath, another Democrat challenging McConnell in the Senate, had raised questions to WLEX about Jones hosting the show while contemplating a Senate run. Defining Jones’ political identity is a slippery task—even for those in Kentucky who listen to him every day. Jones was also selected as the emcee for the annual Fancy Farm political picnic in August 2015. [4] The conversation with Grimes on September 25 lasted 20 minutes and was called by The Daily Beast as "perhaps her most substantive interview. Matt Jones in Kentucky . While Jones identifies as a progressive, Politico has said that he "espouses a doctrine of empathy that you won’t hear from many liberals today." [6], These forays into politics have led many to speculate that Jones might one day run for office. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. When pressed, he identifies as a “Southern populist progressive,” wary of using the term “liberal” in his home state. Matt Jones (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Kentucky. The fearless leader of KSR, Matt Jones, takes the court in Rupp Arena to face alumni from the 1996 National Championship team. Kentucky Matt Jones sells Kentucky Sports Radio website, says sale will not affect radio show "Now is the time for KSR to take the next step,” Jones said in a post on Dec. 1. In a post on the Kentucky Sports Radio website on Dec. 1, Jones said he sold KentuckySportsRadio.com to Stuart McWhorter, a founding investor and director of 247Sports. Contents Matt Jones was born to Steve and Paula Jones on April 22, 1983, in Dermott, Arkansas.He spent most of his childhood in Van Buren, Arkansas, where his parents taught school and his father coached football and track.He attended Van Buren Public Schools from grade school through the end of his junior year. Select this result to view Matt S Jones… Jones and KSR also oversee a small network of podcasts based on the KSR brand and featuring personalities from both the KSR website and radio show. [1] The radio show's flagship stations are WKJK in Louisville and WLAP in Lexington and is syndicated to 50 radio stations in 37 markets in Kentucky and surrounding states. During Mitch McConnell’s fifth reelection campaign, in 2014, he called into Kentucky Sports Radio unannounced. 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