Dave Baker ending UK Sports Network role after 37 years

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - WKYT Special Projects Coordinator and Sportscaster Dave Baker announced he will conclude his 37-year run as pre-game host for the UK Sports Network at the end of this basketball season.

Baker said the decision was not his own. He said JMI, the multimedia rights partner that handles broadcasts, NIL packaging and other projects for the University of Kentucky, informed him he would not be part of the program moving forward.

“A few weeks ago, I found out from JMI that I won’t be a part of the program moving forward,” Baker said. “As the rights holder of the UK Sports Network, they can contractually do that.”

Baker said Saturday’s game against Florida will be his last home game at Rupp Arena as pre-game host.

“That’s the way it is in sports,” he said. “I do want you to know though this wasn’t my decision and even though I’m a little older than when I started — there’s no issue with my health.”

Baker to remain at WKYT

Baker said he is not stepping away from UK sports coverage entirely.

“I am not leaving UK sports; I am concluding my time at the UK Sports Network,” he said.

Baker will continue anchoring Everyday Kentucky at 9 a.m. with India Jones and The Afternoon Buzz on WKYT+ at 12:30 p.m., and contribute sports stories and news updates across multiple platforms throughout the week.

“More than anything, I’m excited to be able to put all my resources toward helping our General Manager, Jaime Kawaja, and our entire staff to give you the news, insight and entertainment you want… when you want it,” Baker said.

Baker said he also expects the arrival of his first grandchild in the coming weeks. “I’m not going anywhere and I hope this allows me to come see more of you, wherever you are in the Commonwealth,” he said.

44 years at WKYT

Baker began at WKYT as an intern and was hired full time one week before his graduation from Georgetown College in 1982. He will mark his 44th year at the station at the end of April. Since then, he has served as a sports anchor, reporter and account executive.

“My managers and colleagues here have given me the ability to grow and learn,” Baker said. “It’s made me a better broadcaster and more importantly a better person.”

SEC and UK broadcasting career

Beyond WKYT, Baker has been involved in SEC broadcasts for more than two decades, calling men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball.

Baker began working SEC events in 1993 through the conference’s syndicated broadcast package, which included Jefferson-Pilot, Lincoln Financial and Raycom Sports. His assignments included hosting the “SEC Football Today” pre-game show and sideline reporting. He was also a play-by-play announcer for Raycom Sports’ SEC Basketball broadcasts and served as sideline reporter for the SEC Tournament.

He was part of the broadcast team during the March 2008 SEC Tournament game at the Georgia Dome when a tornado struck the facility while the tournament was in progress. That game was the subject of the ESPN “30 for 30” special “Miracle 3.”

Baker has covered Kentucky in five Final Fours and three national championships — in 1996, 1998 and 2012 — and has twice been part of Turner Sports’ “Team Casts” for the Final Four. He also served as host of “SEC Tailgate” on the CBS College Sports Network for two seasons and has been a contributor on Raycom’s “Football Saturdays” program.