Longtime WHOP gospel show host and former Christian Fiscal Court magistrate Kenneth Bates died early Tuesday morning at the age of 71, following a brief illness.
Known as “The Doctor,” Bates hosted Fellowship and Love on WHOP for over 45 years and also had similar shows on WNKJ in Hopkinsville and WEKT Radio in Elkton.
He’d only missed a very few Sundays of having a new show since starting in September of 1977 and he talked during the WHOP 75th Anniversary Program in 2015 about how he got became the host.
Kenny was very responsive to his audience, taking requests from listeners on the local airwaves and others who stream his program online.
He also made countless announcements of church activities, prayer requests, birthdays and anniversaries over the years.
What made Kenny as fulfilled as any aspect of the program were the many letters he received from inmates in the Christian County Jail, Green River Correctional Complex and Kentucky State Penitentiary over the years. Many expressed what a blessing it was to them to hear his program on Sunday morning and told him that it kept them encouraged and gave them inspiration to do better during a very trying time in their life.
Kenny didn’t just play music on the radio, he was also a musician who played the piano at The Original Church of God, in addition to being a talented singer.
Bates served one term representing District 1 on Christian Fiscal Court from 2015 to 2018, he was the president of the local NAACP and was recently re-appointed to the Kentucky Bar Association Board of Governors. He was also retired from Phelps Dodge in Hopkinsville’s Industrial Park and served a term as constable.
Former Judge-Executive Steve Tribble says Bates served his community well and noted what many know—Kenny did a lot to help people that was never publicized.
Kenny began his program the same way each week for over four decades—looking to encourage everyone—and always reminding that his program’s message was for everyone.
We will air a tribute to Kenny Bates this Sunday morning at 6 on 98.7 Lite FM and online at lite987whop.com.