ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side anchor Kay Quinn was honored Thursday night as a St. Louis Press Club “Media Person of the Year.” The honor recognizes distinguished journalists in the St. Louis area.
Quinn came to 5 On Your Side in January 1989 as a freelance journalist. She signed her first full-time contract with the station five months later. She’s played a fundamental role in telling the stories that matter most to St. Louis, including her signature work on the health beat.
As a reporter and anchor, she built deep roots within the health community and covered the latest advances in medicine. She’s told the deeply personal medical stories of thousands of St. Louisans.
Over her more than three decades at 5 On Your Side, Quinn has anchored and reported on most of the station’s newscasts. In 2011, she helped build the new 4 p.m. newscast from the ground up and has anchored it since its inception. With viewers in mind, the show focuses on stories that are uniquely St. Louis, and even features some of the very people Quinn connects with every day. She calls it one of her most fulfilling accomplishments and looks forward to continuing to bring viewers the news they need and want in the future.
Quinn’s broadcast career began in the early 1980s at radio stations in Canada. She moved to St. Louis in 1985 and received a degree in communication from Maryville University. Her hard work has earned her much recognition over the years.
Quinn is one of the year’s five Press Club honorees. The others include Elliott Davis from Fox 2, Joe Holleman from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Debbie Monterrey from KMOX, Wiley Price from the St. Louis American, and a special group award was presented to the “Living St. Louis” team at Nine PBS, which includes Jim Kirchherr, Ruth Ezell, Anne-Marie Berger, Kara Vaninger, and Brooke Butler.
The St. Louis Press Club’s “Media Persons of the Year” celebration was held at Edward Jones St. Louis Headquarters and emceed by “Today in St. Louis” co-anchor Rene Knott. The annual event benefits student journalism scholarships.