THE APEX TIMES
WKYT’s Kentucky Newsmakers features Senate President Robert Stivers and Retail Federation comms chief Steve McClain in Aug. 23 episode
The latest Kentucky Newsmakers installment on WKYT brings together Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and Kentucky Retail Federation Director of Communications and Public Affairs Steve McClain for a statewide policy and industry discussion.
WKYT aired a new episode of “Kentucky Newsmakers” on August 23, featuring Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and Kentucky Retail Federation Director of Communications and Public Affairs Steve McClain in separate segments moderated by WKYT journalist Bill Bryant.
The program’s episode page describes the conversation as a review of developments affecting Kentucky, with Stivers appearing as the state Senate’s presiding officer and McClain appearing as a senior communications and public affairs leader for the Kentucky Retail Federation.
As Senate President, Stivers leads the Kentucky Senate and presides over the chamber’s deliberations, with his role focused on setting the agenda for how the upper chamber conducts its work and advances legislation. In the episode, Bryant interviews him in his capacity as the Senate’s top leader.
McClain’s appearance spotlights the retail industry’s perspective on statewide issues. The Kentucky Retail Federation, according to his role description, is involved in communications and public affairs related to matters that affect retailers and the communities they serve, and McClain’s segment focuses on those concerns from the organization’s viewpoint.
The episode is part of WKYT’s recurring “Kentucky Newsmakers” format, which regularly convenes state leaders and outside stakeholders for discussions intended to give viewers an organized overview of issues and policy questions that are in front of Kentucky officials.
The August 23 program is scheduled for viewing through WKYT’s website, with the episode’s content presented as an interview-based update rather than a formal legislative record or court filing.
Because the episode description does not enumerate specific policy proposals or outcomes discussed during the interviews, the precise topics covered in Stivers’s and McClain’s remarks are not detailed in the publicly listed information for this installment.
Viewers seeking a full accounting of what was said in each segment can review the complete WKYT episode recording linked on the program page, which serves as the primary source for the interview content.
Why It Matters
- State-level leadership interviews can clarify what priorities each institution is elevating in the policy process, particularly when the State Senate’s top officer is speaking directly to voters.
- Industry communications leaders can highlight how proposed rules and state decisions may affect local businesses and jobs, even when the details are not laid out in a brief episode description.
- The episode format provides a timely, public-facing record of who is driving discussions at the state capitol and how external stakeholders are engaging with lawmakers.
- To understand specific claims, viewers need to review the full WKYT interview content, since the episode listing does not provide detailed policy or factual assertions.
Key Facts
- WKYT published an August 23 “Kentucky Newsmakers” episode featuring Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and Kentucky Retail Federation Director of Communications and Public Affairs Steve McClain.
- The program’s discussion is moderated by WKYT journalist Bill Bryant.
- The episode was published on August 23, 2026, on WKYT’s website.
- Stivers appeared in his capacity as presiding leader of the Kentucky Senate.
- McClain appeared in his capacity as a senior communications and public affairs leader for the Kentucky Retail Federation.
- The episode page describes the interviews as an overview of issues affecting Kentucky, but does not list the specific topics covered.