Career
He was the Republican nominee for Kentucky Secretary of State in 1995. Crabtree was a drummer and vocalist with a number of bands that performed throughout the Ohio Valley and the northern panhandle of West Virginia during the 1970s. He left Moundsville, West Virginia in 1977 for Somerset, Kentucky to be close to family that had already left West Virginia.
After two years working on campaigns for United States congressman Hal Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky"s 5th congressional district, Crabtree went to work as a reporter and later news anchor for WKYT-television in Lexington, Kentucky in 1981.
The couple had three sons. Tyler, Matthew and Cory.
In 1985, Kentucky Central Insurance Company, that owned WKYT-television at the time, signed on WYMT-television, a Columbia Broadcasting System affiliate in Hazard, Kentucky, sending Crabtree to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to be that station"s first news anchor and later news director In 1987, Crabtree went cross-state to American Broadcasting Company affiliate, WBKO-television in Bowling Green as news director/anchor, later serving as WBKO-television Station Operations Manager.
In 1995, Crabtree was the Republican nominee for Kentucky Secretary of State, defeating his Grand Old Party primary opponent by a more than three-to-one margin.
Crabtree was defeated in the general election by Democrat John Y. Brown, III, son of fast food magnate and former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Junior.
Crabtree later moved his family to Erie, Pennsylvania where he was news director and anchor for American Broadcasting Company affiliate WJET-television for three years. In 2000, he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee as Vice President for News and Station Operations of WVLT-television, a Columbia Broadcasting System affiliate owned by Gray Television. Steve Crabtree resigned from his position as News Director in January, 2011.
In a statement to current employees, he is leaving "on his own" to pursue other opportunities.
Crabtree will stay till April 2011 or on until a replacement is announced.
