KET cutting more than 20% of staff to make up for federal funding reduction
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- KET eliminated 22% of staff in response to federal funding reductions.
- Cuts followed a $1.1B rescission from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- KET relies on CPB for 13% of its budget and 25% of workforce funding.
Kentucky Educational Television is cutting more than 20% of its staff to help make up for the reduction of federal funds, according to a news release from the network.
In July, the U.S. Senate approved a rescission package that took $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. KET receives about 13% of its overall budget from the corporation.
On Thursday, the network announced it cut 22% of its staff, including 15 staff members and 21 positions. Shae Hopkins, executive director and CEO of KET, said the staff reduction was unavoidable because of the loss of federal funding.
“It is a sad but unavoidable situation for our dedicated team, and the loss will affect operations throughout the agency,” Hopkins said in a news release. “However, even during this difficult time, KET remains as committed as ever to serving Kentuckians across the commonwealth.”
KET is a public television network in Kentucky that provides educational programming to more than two million people each week.
Hopkins has said about 25% of KET’s workforce is paid for through the corporation. The network began leaving positions vacant and implementing additional cost-saving measures earlier in the year in anticipation of possible budget cuts.
KET previously scrapped its plans to cover the St. Jerome Parish Picnic in Fancy Farm because of the budget cuts, an event the television station has broadcast for decades. However, KET ended up covering the event after receiving a donation from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
The rescission package included $9 billion in budget cuts allocated for public media and foreign aid, according to NPR. As a result of the cuts, the corporation announced in August it would begin winding down operations.
Only a small transition team would remain employed after Sept. 30 through January 2026 to entirely close out the corporation.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” corporation President and CEO Patricia Harrison previously said in a news release. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
The corporation distributed more than 70% of its funding to more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations, including KET and other stations in Kentucky, according to its website.
Stations in other states are having to operate creatively to navigate the new budget landscape, according to CBS News. In Wilmington, N.C., public radio station WHQR hosted a three-day fundraiser and raised more than $200,000 for its budget.
Hawaii Public Radio raised $650,000 in an emergency fund drive for its network, CBS News reported.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM.
