Beech Tree News Network

For the 4th consecutive year, Matt Jones and his Kentucky Sports Radio cohorts are coming to Morgantown. Jones, along with co-host Ryan Lemond and Shannon the Dude will be in town on Thursday, July 2nd. They will broadcast their show live from Final Finish on Gardner Camp Road from 9-11 a.m.

In just five years Jones has watched what started as an Internet-only podcast grow into a radio sensation. With more than 30 affiliates the show is one of the most-popular regional sports shows in America. His Kentucky Sports Radio blog is America's largest independent sports blog.

Jones has been transformed from a well-spoken fan to a UK insider. He has access to the coaches and players in UK's programs that are unsurpassed by even industry heavyweights such as ESPN's Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale. He's frequently cited as a source by other media outlets, and has appeared on ESPN programs such as SportsCenter and Outside the Lines.

His broadcasting role has also changed greatly in the past couple of years. Jones can now be heard reporting from the sidelines of UK football and basketball games on radio, and is also a part of pregame and post game broadcasts. On top of that he also works for The Tennis Channel as an analyst at major professional tournaments, including the United States Open.

Matt Jones has also inserted himself--in a roundabout way--into the Kentucky political scene. In 2014 Jones garnered headlines for having US Senate candidates Alison Lundergan Grimes and incumbent senator Mitch McConnell on KSR. He followed that up by a gubernatorial debate on KSR between republican candidates Matt Bevin, Hal Heiner, James Comer, and Will T. Scott. The broadcast was praised for its candor, and for taking the debate to an audience not normally involved in the process.

That's not too bad for a guy with no formal journalism or media training. And despite being the unofficial voice of UK fans, Jones never attended the University of Kentucky. Jones received his undergraduate degree from Transylvania University in Lexington. He then graduated second in his class from the Duke University Law School.

Jones' KSR program can be heard locally on WLBQ 101.5 FM daily from 6-8 p.m.  WLBQ was the first KSR affiliate when it began airing the program in the fall of 2011.