From gathering the news to swinging a golf club, Kurt Davis, KENS-5 San Antonio executive news director, is a winner.

“When it comes to TV and the ratings, I like to win,” says Davis. “I’m a winner, and I like being part of winning propositions. For me, KENS-5 is a winning proposition, and I’m very happy and very proud to be here.”

Before joining KENS-5 San Antonio, Davis worked his way “up, through and around” in various editorial positions in Atlanta, Little Rock, Lynchburg, Dallas and his hometown, New Orleans. He began working as a producer and reporter immediately after receiving his Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences in Journalism from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He followed a steady course to the top, but understood that “success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to prepare a plan and determine what it is that you want to do and how you want to do it. Once you determine that, you have to set the course to meet those goals.”

Although he enjoyed a number of early successes, Davis encountered a few speed bumps along his journey from reporter to executive news director. As an ambitious young newsman, his first major obstacle was age.

“I determined that I wanted to be a news director fairly early,” he says. “I was young, and a lot of folks would say, ‘you’re not old enough; you don’t have enough experience.’”

The racial divide also served as an obstacle for Davis because “at one point, I was a young black manager in Little Rock, Arkansas. At that time, that was rare, and it was a tough pill for some to swallow. They got over it and I survived. You have to do whatever it takes to overcome those issues.”

Despite these setbacks, Davis pulled through and now holds one of the most prestigious positions in the business. He has been working with the “great people at KENS TV” just over four years and expresses great pride in working with a team that provides the tremendous service of delivering the news to the people of San Antonio. He is also grateful to the mentors who taught him the tricks of the trade and inspired him to pursue his goals in the face of all obstacles.

“I had quite a few mentors,” he says. “I had my first news director in Baton Rouge, John Spain, who taught me a lot about news and what makes a story a news story. My biggest mentor was my dad, who showed me how to be a man and work hard for a living and earn it. Well, my dad and my mom, as well as the rest of my family really helped me and supported me along the way. A lot of the things I’ve learned were taught to me by my mom, my dad and my brothers.”

Davis considers his family the “backbone of his existence” and is thankful to have close relationships with both his immediate and extended families.

“I come from a family of five boys born and reared in New Orleans,” he says. “I’ve been married 24 years to my wife, Angela, and we have two kids. My daughter, Kelsey, is a freshman at LSU, and my son, Kyle, is in high school at Reagan. He plays football. Nobody’s prouder than me out there on Friday and Saturday yelling and screaming for my son to do well. We are a very close family. We have a lot of big family gatherings here and in New Orleans.”

Although he has a large family and a hectic work schedule, Davis has no problem balancing his professional life with his personal life.

“For the most part, I don’t physically work seven days a week, 365 days a year, but I am available to my job seven days a week, 365 days a year, and that’s been understood since the beginning of time,” he says. “Fortunately, it’s always worked out. I’ve never had to miss a birthday because of a news story, but it can happen, and my family and I are prepared for that. But it’s never been a hindrance to me or to what we do.”

In addition to “doing TV all of the time,” Davis attends Resurrection Baptist Church in Schertz and serves on the boards of directors for the San Antonio YMCA, mysanantonio.com and San Antonio Crime Stoppers. Although his schedule limits his availability, “I try to get involved whenever I’m asked.”

Davis also reserves time for one of his favorite diversions, golf. He calls the sport his “biggest release” because it allows him to enjoy the nicely manicured courses, as well as the companionship with his fellow golfers.

“I’m probably not as good as I think I am or as I should be, but I like to play golf,” he says. “It’s very relaxing, and I like the fellowship with the guys or girls or whoever I’m playing with. We have a good time.”

For Davis, life is great. He has reached the point of balanced success that many professionals only reach in their dreams.

“I love my family, I love my job and I love my life,” he says. “I’m not a perfect person, but I think that if I had to do it all over again, I’d probably do it the same way.”