RIDGEWAY – Whether he is teaching, stepping onto a stage, or writing his “Kenny’s Corner” column, Kenny Robertson is not interested in merely filling space—he’s looking to spark a conversation that feels like home.
When that same effortless, front-porch authenticity translated to a studio microphone, it didn’t take long for the rest of the country to pull up a seat.
Now, it has earned national acclaim.
Robertson, known on-air as Kennedy Alexander, and co-host Courtney Thomas have taken home a Gold Signal Award for Best Video Podcast Co-Host Team for SCETV’s “The AUXdacity.”
To appreciate the magnitude of the win, one need only look at the medal stand: in a category celebrating the podcast industry’s finest on-air chemistry, the homegrown South Carolina duo took top honors, sharing the podium with big names like former First Lady Michelle Obama, who earned bronze.
“The AUXdacity” isn’t a typical, buttoned-up public television program. It feels more like hanging out on a living room couch, swapping stories and talking.
The show dives into the heartbeat of the Black South through music, fashion, and culture in easy half-hour episodes. One minute they’re breaking down the power of civil rights protest songs, and the next they’re talking personal style, emerging tech, and how a bassline can define an entire generation. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
What really makes it work is the natural give-and-take between Robertson and Thomas.
Thomas brings deep insight as an activist and storyteller celebrating Southern Black joy, while Robertson brings the quick timing, humor, and heart of a veteran comic and educator. Backed by beats from DJ T.O. and field reports from Claudia Banks and TréDay, the pair brings an easy-going vibe to heavy topics.
With prominent voices like poet Nikky Finney, ethnomusicologist Dr. Birgitta J. Johnson, and “Gullah Gullah Island” star Natalie Daise, the show dives deep while keeping it conversational.
That relaxed, unscripted feel is precisely what won over the judges.
This year’s Signal Awards theme was “Recognizing the Risk Takers”—honoring creators who, as General Manager Jemma Rose Brown said, “bent formats and took bets.”
“They tested ideas out loud and let their audiences in on the process,” Brown said of this year’s winners.
For a show like “The AUXdacity,” that description fits like a glove. And while the gold medal is a milestone, Robertson says the mission remains the same.
“This show is more than entertainment; it’s a reflection of who we are, what we believe, and how we connect with one another,” he said. “I’m proud that we get to explore those connections with humor, honesty, and curiosity, and I look forward to continuing these conversations.”
While the rest of the country is just finding out what makes Kenny Robertson’s voice so special, people around Fairfield County have known it for a while.
“The AUXdacity” streams on SCETV’s YouTube and website, or you can catch the audio version on South Carolina Public Radio and wherever you get your podcasts.