The WPKY Staff is serving as Grand Marshals for the Black Patch Festival. Tess Cowan is the first person you hear in the morning from the local radio station.
Tess grew up in Caldwell County and began her career in radio at WKPY at the age of 17. She was active in school and played basketball where she thanks her coach William Fralick for giving her the confidence to pursue her dream through basketball. She said as a child she would play records on the player and introduce the songs before playing them like she was announcing on the radio.
She continued her radio career after moving to Evansville where her new boss gave her the name Tess. While growing up in Caldwell County she was known as Carla McGregor but her new boss thought Tess sounded more like a radio personality and the name has stuck with her. She moved to another radio station and her life changed as she interviewed a Marine who became her husband and Tess Cowan became a military wife.
They moved to Texas and Tess returned to radio but shortly their lives changed again. They became parents of twins who were born prematurely which resulted in medical issues. The third child was added then Tess suffer a mosquito bite that resulted in a MRSA infection that caused her to lose 70 percent of inside of her leg causing the bone to grow back hollow inside. She and her family then moved home to Kentucky and started farming.
In 2019 Tess returned back to radio where she started at WPKY. Tess now hosts the morning news and the popular morning show. She gets up at 3:30 am to be at work at 6:00 and is the bright voice that welcomes you each morning.
click to download audioAfter her morning show, she works doing imaging and production for the local station. She then travels to Cadiz to WKDZ to do a Late Lunch Cafe program where she takes requests and gives information about the song and artist before playing the song just as she used to imagine doing as a little girl. When her program ends at 3:00 pm she either heads back to WPKY or home. Tess also does live remote programs for WPKY & WKDZ.
Tess is excited about being part of the Grand Marshals.
click to download audioIn addition to her 30 years in radio, she has seen many changes.
click to download audioTess is looking forward to more good times working at WPKY.
click to download audioTess will be one of the faces you see leading the Black Patch Parade on Friday, September 9th.
