Lee Giles

Representing the Indiana Broadcasters Association, Lee Giles retired as vice president and news director after 40 years at WISH-TV, Indianapolis. He became the nation’s longest tenured news director, serving 35 years in that position, and is recipient of the First Amendment Service Award of the Radio Television News Directors Foundation.

Giles began his career in 1959 as a writer and reporter for WLW Radio and WLW-TV in Cincinnati. Called the dean of news directors, Giles is a member of the Hall of Fame of the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers, the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame and the Indiana Associated Press.

Giles' early professional career included positions as a broadcast news writer in Cincinnati; Bowling Green, Kentucky, radio news director; and from 1960-62 as assistant director of public relations at Western Kentucky State College. 

He was awarded his undergraduate degree by the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree by Michigan State University, the latter leading directly to his hiring in 1963 as WISH-TV editorial director.

He has been a visiting professor of journalism at Indiana University and has taught at IUPUI and Butler University. He lives in Brownsburg.