NEWPORT, TENNESSEE — WLIK Radio received the Luther Community Service Award from the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame for its emergency broadcasting during deadly flash flooding in Cocke County, Tennessee. The station provided critical updates on safety instructions, impassable roads, and urged residents to stay home unless necessary during the Thursday morning flooding.
The award recognizes local radio stations that go above and beyond to assist their communities. It is named after Chattanooga radio personality Luther Masingill, known for his dedication to community service.
Heavy rains caused the flash flooding in Cocke County, impacting residents who had previously endured flooding from Hurricane Helene in September 2024. WLIK, which has been on the air since 1952, used its elevated location overlooking Newport to monitor conditions and serve as a resource hub.
"After going through Helene, we knew the steps," morning show host Kelly Lunceford said. "Keep everybody safe, get the information out as quickly as we could. I had contacts in the EOC letting me know what's going on, what roads were impassable, where not to go, where to stay away from. If you did not have to get out, just stay home; that's the best thing you could do."
Lunceford added, "I don't feel like I did anything, or we did anything, we weren't supposed to do. That's our job here at the station, to keep people informed. So I didn't feel like we did anything special, but apparently somebody did."
"The radio station is up on a hill, and it overlooks down, over Newport, so they could see all the damage and the flooding going on," Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame President Bob Kesling said. "But the fact that people knew where the radio station was, they could go up there and they had water and food and all kinds of things."
WLIK will be presented with the award in Franklin in July.