[Brian Milam]

If it is OK with everyone I would like to address some of what is being said on this thread. I am a little bothered not by what some think, but rather the opinions some consider factual. WYMT handles criticism well when it is warranted. You will never see me "dis-respecting" others because of something they believe. A prime example is disagreement with polls, predictions or statements. Disagreement is part of sports and so is motivating players. Behind closed doors bashing someone to motivate is fine with me! I have no problem with that because it is in the locker room. I know it's happened before and have been told by the coaches they did it at my/our expense. However, when that bashing is distributed in the media for no reason at all, that is unacceptable and is personal.
One problem I have with some of these message board comments is they are not backed up with facts. It is very easy to say we give no respect. But what does it mean to get respect? When has WYMT in coverage, reports, or generic conversation say, "We hate that team, coach, player, community or school!" Never has that happened. There are times when we disagree with a coach about something, but we don't go on TV and air our grievance.
When I played, I could care less if someone respected me. The teams I played on would kick your teeth in whether you respected us or not! If you respected us great! Here's a 11-2 beat down. If you didn't respect us, great! Here's a 13-3 mercy rule. Respect comes from winning championships, winning with class and conducting yourself the right way on and off the playing field. We have all fallen short at times, but the overall body or work is what should be examined.
Please understand the following is not being written with a harsh attitude or tone. There are things that need to be corrected and concerning the John Hines situation, plenty has transpired since the article was written the public has no clue about. It is a dead issue while others are not.
Now to address some of the comments posted:
***They were primarily there for Perry Central because the station is located in Perry County and most of the advertisers are from Perry and they pay the bills.****

What are you talking about????? The reason WYMT chose PCC at Pulaski was because of one reason. We thought it would be the best game in the coverage area. It turned out to be just that, the best game. It could also be argued the Harlan County-Southwestern was the best. Either way, no argument here. The WYMT sports department could care less who pays the bills. Don't get me wrong, I want paid next week but our job is not about pleasing only those who spend money with our station. How many advertisers come from Letcher County? Not as many as there used to be and LCC football and basketball is on quite frequently. When the three of us discuss games, we do not say, "OK Derek, ABC Company paid $5,000 this month we better put them on TV." THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!! Know your facts, do not float an opinion and pretend it is factual.

***Ask the Lexington stations how much they get blasted if they report something negative about UK.****
What has WYMT reported about Pulaski County that would be deemed negative? Nothing. We have praised Pulaski County for getting up off the mat and proving people wrong! They were in the pre-season Top 10, Derek did a nice story on the injuries to Stone, Muse, and how the team responded. We have done nothing but positive stories on the Maroons. If we blasted them, we would take criticism by the bucket and it would be deserved.

***I agree WYMT plays some favoritism to closer schools...***
Once again incorect. We (WYMT sports) could care less who wins any game. Some of my "favorite teams" over the past 11 years are from the farthest corners of our coverage area. These are my favorite football teams. Middlesboro 1998, Lawrence County 1999, Johnson Central 2000, Fleming Neon 2001, Belfry 2003-04, Williamsburg 2004...the closest school in that list was Neon and that is a 45 minute drive.

***The reason they covered the Pulaski/Perry Central game was that they were also in the area to cover Harlan Co./Southwestern and the Somerset game!***
This would be true on most occassions but this past Friday, PCC vs. Pulaski was the game of the week if they played it in Tennessee. This week our featured game is Knox Central at Lawrence County which are non-revenue generating areas.

***During the season they are bad to focus on certain teams and thats kind of unfair.***
We focus on what we believe has the best storylines and we do try to focus on the best games. Class 5A District 8 is a lot more compelling to the entire mountain region than say Class 5A District 6 or Class A District 7. We encompass the mountains, not certain schools.

Once again this needed to be said. WYMT does the best we can with no prejudice, bias, or dis-respect to anyone.