Distinctive voice leaving WQXE

The distinctive voice of WQXE news in Elizabethtown is returning home.

Lee Bramlett, news and sports director for WQXE-WULF radio, is stepping down from his duties after purchasing the controlling interest of WXBC in Breckinridge County from Jo Ann Keenan, who is retiring from broadcasting. Bramlett has served as news director at WQXE since 1997.

A Breckinridge County native, Bramlett spoke to Keenan about the station and gave it a considerable amount of thought and prayer while at the same time consulting those closest to him.

“I finally decided it was just too good an opportunity to pass up,” he said.

His last day working in Elizabethtown is April 5, which he will follow with his wedding April 6 and a honeymoon.

Bramlett said he will spend the remainder of April reintegrating into Breckinridge County and reintroducing himself to residents. His first day with WXBC is May 6.

He will continue to reside in the Hardin County area with an “end goal” to relocate to his native county in the near future.

“It’s rare to get an opportunity to go back home,” he said.

Bramlett said he has immense respect for the work Keenan has done at WXBC and he wants to build on the sense of community the station affords Breckinridge County. He does not plan to make any immediate changes to the programming but rather review the station’s role over time and make adjustments if necessary.

“I don’t want to do anything to upset that apple cart,” he said.

As owner and manager, Bramlett said he will be called upon to be a “jack of all trades,” which could require him to cover news or tackle other on-air assignments.

He has been at the center of numerous high-profile news stories during his tenure in Hardin County and is a longstanding play-by-play announcer for local sports.

As for what he will miss most, Bramlett said the strongest ties he has built are to the people he has met and the community that has welcomed him as one of its own.

“I just want to thank the community for the last 15-plus years,” he said. “It’s a sincere and heartfelt thank you.”

Marty Finley can be reached at (270) 505-1762 or mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com.