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Meet Nancy Cox
A respected, award-winning journalist, Nancy Cox is one of the most recognized and popular news anchors in the history of Lexington television.
Beginning as a reporter and producer at WKYT-TV, Cox became a reporter and weekend morning news anchor at WLEX-TV in 1992, later moving to the main anchor desk and playing a key role in LEX 18 becoming the number one rated newscast.
Learn more about her life and career below.
Over her 33-year career as a television journalist, Ms. Cox has been honored twice with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award; eight regional Emmy Awards; and numerous Kentucky Associated Press Awards including “Best Anchor” honors. She gave back to the industry and to future journalists by serving ten years on the board of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences-Ohio Valley Chapter, including two terms as president. Shortly after retiring in 2023, Cox was inducted into the prestigious “Silver Circle” of NATAS-Ohio Valley. She’s also been inducted into both the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
Cox covered politics, crime, education, medicine, and features on the people and places that make Kentucky unique. Among the many memorable moments in her career, Cox covered the first inauguration of President Barack Obama; an exclusive one-on-one interview with Hilary Clinton during her presidential campaign; the NTSB hearings on the crash of Comair Flight 5191; twenty-three Kentucky Derbies; several Final Fours and NCAA Basketball Championships for her life-long favorite Kentucky Wildcats; and a one-on-one interview with legendary UK announcer Cawood Ledford as he bade farewell to his broadcasting career.
A summa cum laude graduate of Western Kentucky University, Nancy was Miss Kentucky representing her beloved home state in the 1990 Miss America Pageant. With her title, Nancy crisscrossed the state as an ambassador for Champions Against Drugs, the Kentucky Heart Association, and speaking to students from kindergarten through high school about setting goals and achieving dreams. Giving back to the programs that inspired her, Nancy served on the boards of both the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Organization and Kentucky Junior Miss. She also served as a trustee for Campbellsville University where she also studied.
Nancy is a sought-after speaker and singer, making hundreds of appearances including hosting the “Red Couch Tour” and the annual “Go Red” fundraiser for the American Heart Association; the Salvation Army; Race for the Cure; and Habitat for Humanity. She’s inspired many with her determination and courage while going through major back surgeries to correct severe scoliosis, often being invited to share her story with civic and religious groups.
Of her life’s experiences and achievements, Nancy’s greatest joy is the blessing of two children, her husband, and her large and supportive family in Kentucky and New York.
