Thirty-five years is a long time. To put it in perspective, in 1987, The Bangles were walking like an Egyptian. Eddie Murphy was a Beverly Hills cop. President Reagan was telling Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” So, to know that the general manager of a television station, in an era of the revolving door, has been an employee of the same station for 35 years … the guy has got to be doing something right. And getting it right all this time is why the Alabama Broadcasters Association is naming Stan Pylant, general manager of WHNT-TV, Broadcaster of the Year.
“If I heard him say it once, I’ve heard him say it a hundred times,” says Jerry Hayes, news anchor, about Pylant, ‘What we do here is important – the community matters.’ And he wants the community to know that they matter.”
“Yes, giving back to the community is very important to Stan,” says his wife, Donna. “The station has always tried to give back through work service days, and telethons and raising money for those in need.”
“For the past few years Nexstar stations helped out at a local organization – we worked at the Boys and Girls Club. And we’d be out there in the hot Alabama sun doing landscaping and digging fence post holes and Stan is right out there working with everyone else,” says Hayes. “This year Stan and I were filling wheelbarrows with mulch. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He’s boots on the ground. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
“Last year he fell off the roof and shattered his wrist and basically broke his back,” Hayes continues. “He wouldn’t let me go on the roof, but he did. He’s going to lead the charge on anything he does.”
Both spoke in earnest about Pylant’s actions after the April 27, 2011 outbreak of deadly tornados in north Alabama. It was an unprecedented weather event. Sixty-two tornadoes touched down in eighteen-hours; some areas were struck more than once. Whole communities were destroyed. 240 people died and many more were injured.
“The next day, Stan is out there using his cell phone with a Skype app and he’s interviewing people and showing damage live online for more than an hour. He wanted people to be able to see and know what happened and that was the only way,” says Hayes. “How many general managers would do that?”
“He just kind of went into another mode,” Donna says. “We had no power in Huntsville for a week, but he was keeping the station going. He spent the night at the station on his office couch for four or five nights. The hours were just horrendous for everyone.”
“And he had them bring in all of these grills and he was cooking trying to keep his employees fed. It was just a really memorable time in his career.”
“Again, that’s just the kind of guy he is. He does it all for the team. He serves his employees. In this case, he literally cooked and served them … and he’s a pretty good griller,” smiles Hayes.
“Stan just loves WHNT. He’s kept it on an even keel – he’s done a good job with that. They haven’t tended to have a lot of drama or anything,” chuckles Donna. “He also takes pride in bringing along the young people who are coming up behind him.”
Indeed, the station has thrived under Pylant’s leadership. The ABA recognized WHNT as Station of the Year in 2010 and 2011. It won an Edward R. Murrow Award for the tornado coverage and has garnered multiple Emmys and ABBYs.
“He’s very proud of these awards because they’re from our peers. And he’s just proud of the work we do,” says Hayes.
Donna says this honor is going to be one he’ll cherish. “Oh, I think he’ll be thrilled,” she says. “It’ll mean a lot to him because the ABA is really near and dear to his heart. He’s served on the board forever and he’s made so many good friends there. I know it’ll mean everything to him.”
“He’ll be shocked,” says Hayes. “He’ll point his finger at those of us who knew, and he’ll give us that grin. But he’ll be humble as usual and tell everyone that he doesn’t deserve it. He’ll say the award belongs to the staff.”
“In fact, I guess I’d say that’s what I’ve learned the most from him; it’s about the team, not the individual. It’s about what we do, we do as a team,” says Hayes, smiling. “Because, well … that’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Stan Pylant began his career at WHNT-TV in 1985 as an Account Executive. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Athens State University and was named the 2008 Outstanding Athens State Alumni. Pylant is a graduate of the Huntsville/Madison County Executive Leadership Class of 2004. He has served as a board member of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education since 2014.
