Longtime political journalist Kay Henderson will be the next host and moderator of the Iowa PBS public affairs program “Iowa Press,” the station announced today. Henderson replaces David Yepsen, who retires from the desk on Sept. 10. Henderson first appeared on “Iowa Press” in October 1987 and has regularly appeared as a guest panelist since. “It’s an honor to be invited to take on this new role,” she said in a statement. “Watching ‘Iowa Press’ hosts Dean Borg and David Yepsen guide the program over the past 34 years has given me a glimpse of the responsibilities ahead. I’m humbled by the opportunity and excited about the task of helping ‘Iowa Press’ move into its fifth decade of service to our viewers.” For the last 20 years, Henderson has been the national political director for Learfield news networks in Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. She will continue serving as Radio Iowa’s news director, a position she’s held since 1994. “After three decades of Iowa public affairs coverage on radio and on ‘Iowa Press,’ Kay Henderson is the backbone of political journalism in this state,” Andrew Batt, “Iowa Press” senior producer, said in a statement. Henderson will be the first woman to hold the role of host and moderator in the program’s 50-year history. Her first broadcast in her new role will be on Sept. 17.