KET will not cover Fancy Farm political picnic after losing millions in federal funds
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Fancy Farm 2025
See more coverage from the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com about the 145th Annual St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic and its political speeches.
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Kentucky Educational Television announced Thursday it would not cover the Fancy Farm political picnic in August due to the loss of federal funding.
The move comes less than 24 hours after the U.S. Senate approved a $9 billion rescission package that clawed back $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grant funding to KET and Kentucky public radio stations. The remaining cuts were to multiple foreign aid programs.
It’s the first time in decades KET will not provide coverage of the St. Jerome Parish Picnic in Fancy Farm, which is known for its barbecue and rowdy campaign speeches. This year’s picnic is Aug. 2.
“We are extremely disappointed to not be at Fancy Farm, an event we have covered for decades,” said KET Executive Director and CEO Shae Hopkins. “The unofficial kickoff to the political season is an important tradition, and we have been pleased to share this iconic event with our statewide audience through the years.”
In addition, KET, which receives about 13% of its overall budget from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has also nixed a trip to Murray in September to highlight the region for two of its programs “Kentucky Edition” and “Kentucky Tonight.”
In a written release, KET said other decisions to cut its programming will be made in coming weeks.
On Friday, Hopkins said about 25% of KET’s workforce is paid for through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants. The $4.2 million supports the majority of KET’s programs.
“KET has begun the difficult process of determining what must be reduced, suspended or ended due to the significant loss of CPB funding,” Hopkins said.
The Senate passed President Donald Trump administration’s rescission package early Thursday morning. The House is expected to confirm the changes during a vote later Thursday night.
All of Kentucky’s Republican Senate and House delegation voted in favor of the cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which also funds National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. Republicans have said NPR and PBS have become too liberal, which both national news organizations have denied.
U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, is the only Kentucky Congressman to vote against the cuts. McGarvey has slammed the move, saying it will hurt rural areas of the state that are dependent on public radio for news and emergency alerts.
“Everyone in Kentucky has either been impacted by severe weather or knows someone has been a victim of a flood or tornado,” McGarvey said. “But just this week, the Senate passed Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to the emergency alert system that keeps our rural neighbors safe. When seconds matter for getting your family to safety. When cell phone coverage is spotty and local TV stations don’t reach where you are. This is the system that saves families lives.”
Rural radio station hit hard by cuts
One of the radio stations that has helped provide those emergency alerts is WMMT, 88.7 FM, in Whitesburg. The public radio station was knocked off the air during the July 2022 floods but it returned as soon as possible, said Roger May, interim director of WMMT and the director of artistic programming for Appalshop, where WMMT is housed.
The community radio station has been on the air for 40 years.
One-third of WMMT’s budget comes from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. It has one full-time staffer. It is currently looking for a general manager. It relies on volunteer DJs and community groups to provide programming.
May said they aren’t sure what will happen come Oct. 1 when that Corporation for Public Broadcasting money dries up.
“As with so many stations across the country, especially those in rural spaces, we are sometimes the only form of communication that folks are able to get,” May said.
WMMT also reflects the community, he said, noting that there’s something for every type of listener, including hip hop, Bluegrass, country and contemporary.
May said they are still trying to figure out how the loss of that federal funding will affect WMMT’s daily operations. It receives a little more than $130,000 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting each year.
“It’s a considerable blow to us,” May said.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut is just the latest financial blow to Appalshop, a well-known community arts organization that started as a film workshop in 1969. Earlier this year the group was notified that National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities grants the group was previously awarded were nixed.
In total, Appalshop has lost more than $1 million in federal funding since January, Appalshop officials said.
“This is going to be the norm for the next couple of years. We are going to have to figure out ways to adjust to it,” May said.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 4:56 PM.
