Bob Knight (right) is pictured with Mountain Home Mayor Hillrey Adams and his grandson, Zane Loftis, after the City of Mountain Home declared July 15, 2021, as Bob Knight Day.
One of Mountain Home’s biggest champions will soon have a day named after him.
The City of Mountain Home has proclaimed July 15, 2021 to be “Bob Knight Day.” Mayor Hillrey Adams surprised the longtime radio broadcaster with the news during Thursday night’s City Council meeting, which was packed with more than 40 friends, family and well-wishers.
Knight talks about the city honoring him.
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The city chose July 15 as Bob Knight Day because that will be his 76th birthday.
Knight is one of the co-owners of Mountain Lakes Broadcasting Corp. and serves as president and general manager of KTLO AM 1240 and KTLO FM 97.9, KCTT Classic Hits 101.7 and KBOD 99.7 The Boot. He also hosts the KTLO FM morning show, helping thousands of listeners get out of bed and get their days started.
Bob Knight (left) is pictured in the KTLO FM 97.9 studios with his grandson, Zane, and late wife, Sue.
The city’s proclamation reads in part, “We have been waking up to Bob’s voice in the Twin Lakes Area on KTLO for over 40 years. Not only is he that familiar voice on the radio, but he is a pillar in this community that we want to recognize.”
Jim Bodenhamer, who worked with Knight at KTLO for 30-plus years, talks about the impact his former boss has had on the Twin Lakes Area.
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Knight, a lifetime resident of the Twin Lakes Area, shares his thoughts on his hometown.
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Knight currently serves as president of the Mountain Home Education Foundation Board of Directors, a distinction he has held for the past 16 years, and was inducted into the Mountain Home Education Foundation Hall of Honor in 2009.
He has previously served as president of the Mountain Home Lions Club, the Baxter County Razorback Club, the Mountain Home Industrial Park Board, and the Mountain Home Planning Commission. He is a past board member of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce, the Baxter Regional Hospital Foundation and the Arkansas State University-Mountain Home Advisory Board. He has also served as a commissioner on the Arkansas Parks Tourism and Travel Commission and is a past president of that organization.
Bob Knight has greeted the Twin Lakes Area each weekday morning for more than 40 years.
Over the years, Knight and the KTLO staff have collected items for the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, worked with the Salvation Army for the Angel Tree program and collected school supplies and coats for area children. Radiothons and concerts have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local entities like Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, Baxter Regional Medical Center, the Christian Clinic, the Mountain Home Education Foundation and more. Knight also helped raise $12,000 for the Girl Scouts of America to bring the Vietnam Moving Wall to Mountain Home.
The city’s proclamation states, “Bob has been a vital part in this community and has served as a mentor to others about giving back to the Mountain Home area. (He) has kept this community at the center of his life and career and the importance he places on service to the community is second to none.”
Danny Ford, who served with Knight on the Arkansas Parks Tourism and Travel Commission for more than 20 years, read a letter addressed to Knight from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
The governor’s letter reads in part, “Throughout your lifetime you have remained a dedicated citizen of Mountain Home and the Twin Lakes Area where you have diligently worked to improve the quality of life for the community. Likewise, your dedicated service as a Commissioner of the Arkansas Tourism and Travel Commission has helped open the doors of Arkansas to tourists and travelers from around the world.”
Elijah Snow, a field representative for U.S. Sen. John Boozman, also read a letter Thursday night commending Knight and congratulating him on being recognized by the city.
Adams says the city naming a day in Knight’s honor is only fitting for someone who has done so much for Mountain Home.
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Knight was born in Gassville in 1945. He graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1963 and the Wichita School of Broadcasting in 1965. He served four years in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1969 and was stationed in Morocco and aboard the battleship U.S.S. New Jersey.
Bob Knight (second from left) is joined by Mountain Home Mayor Hillrey Adams (from left), grandson, Zane Loftis, daughter, Heather Knight-Loftis, and son-in-law, Chris Loftis.
Knight became a co-owner of KTLO in 1973. Under Knight’s leadership, KTLO and its affiliates have broadcast all things local — news, sports, weather and more — for almost 50 years. Community events like school band concerts, Christmas tree lightings and veterans ceremonies all found a home on the airwaves thanks to Knight.
In 2011, KTLO and KCTT were inducted into the Mountain Home Athletic Hall of Honor for the stations’ coverage of all things Bombers.
Adams says its rare for a school to have the radio coverage that KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot provides.
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KTLO and its affiliates have been recognized five times by the National Association of Broadcasters as one of the top Small Market Radio Stations of the Year. Knight is a past president of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association and currently serves as president of that association’s Political Advisory Council. He has been awarded the Silver Mic Award for leadership in the broadcast industry and received the Community Service Award from the Arkansas Broadcasters Association.
Bodenhamer says Knight has not changed since their early days together.
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Knight and his late wife, the former Sue Hightower, were married for 48 years. The Knights have one daughter, Heather Loftis (Chris), and two grandchildren, Mia and Zane Loftis.
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