Funding reductions at the federal level lead to KET's absence from the yearly Fancy Farm gathering this year.
Kentucky Educational Television (KET) Drops Coverage of Fancy Farm Event Due to Funding Cuts
The Rescissions Act of 2025 has had a significant impact on Kentucky Educational Television (KET), a PBS member station. The Act eliminated all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, clawing back more than $1 billion previously allocated to CPB over two years[1][2][4].
As a result, KET, like other public media organizations, is facing reduced budgets for local productions and cutbacks in coverage of local events[1]. This funding cut directly affected KET's ability to cover the annual Fancy Farm political event, an important tradition and significant event that KET has typically shared with its audience for decades[3].
The elimination of CPB funding has led to the discontinuation of KET's coverage of the annual Fancy Farm political event this year. Shae Hopkins, KET Executive Director and CEO, has expressed her disappointment about not attending Fancy Farm[5].
More decisions regarding the elimination of federal funding will be made by KET in the coming weeks. It is unclear at this time whether new sources of support for KET's local productions will be found to maintain the quality and quantity of educational and cultural content offered by KET[1].
Public media leaders stress that these cuts "directly harm their communities and constituents" and could jeopardize public safety information dissemination[1]. The concerns voiced by NPR and PBS leadership about the broader negative consequences on public media nationwide[1][2][3][4] are shared by KET and its community.
[1] NPR, "Rescissions Act Threatens Public Media's Financial Viability", 2025. [2] PBS, "Impact of Rescissions Act on Public Media", 2025. [3] Louisville Courier Journal, "KET Drops Coverage of Fancy Farm Due to Funding Cuts", 2025. [4] CPB, "Statement on Rescissions Act", 2025. [5] KET, "CEO Shae Hopkins Discusses Impact of Rescissions Act", 2025.
The funding cuts from the Rescissions Act of 2025 have caused Kentucky Educational Television (KET) to scale back on local event coverage, leading to the discontinuation of their annual Fancy Farm political event coverage this year. Public media leaders, including KET, are concerned that these cuts may have broader negative consequences on the provision of educational and cultural content in their communities.
