KET will now cover Fancy Farm political picnic, thanks to donation

Look who’s coming back to Fancy Farm.

Kentucky Educational Television officials announced Tuesday it will cover the St. Jerome Parish Picnic in Fancy Farm after previously saying it could not broadcast the political summer mainstay due to federal budget cuts.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has offered to sponsor the statewide public television’s coverage of the Fancy Farm political picnic, known for its tasty barbecue and rough-and-tumble political speeches.

“We’re grateful to the Kentucky Chamber, a longtime corporate partner and supporter of KET, for helping us to continue this decades-long tradition of bringing viewers across the state coverage of this iconic event,” said Shae Hopkins, KET executive director and CEO, in a Tuesday news release.

Host Renee Shaw will be joined by analysts Bob Babbage and Trey Grayson. “Fancy Farm 2025” broadcasts live Saturday, Aug. 2 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST and 1:30 pm CT on KET.

Congress voted last week to approve a rescissions package that yanked previously approved federal funding to KET and public radio stations in Kentucky for the next two years.

After the vote, KET announced it could not cover the annual political picnic due to the loss of more than $4 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which lost all of its federal funding.

KET officials have said the Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding is about 13% of its annual budget. Roughly 25% of its staff is paid for through federal grants.

This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM.

Beth Musgrave

Lexington Herald-Leader

Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription