Kentucky Educational Television eliminates 36 positions

Kentucky Educational Television announced Thursday that it is laying off staff.

KET is eliminating 36 positions across several departments by laying off 15 employees and cutting 21 vacant positions. The station had 158 full-time employees before the announcement, according to a spokesperson. The reduction affects 22% of its workforce.

“Unfortunately, with the loss of federal funding, there is no way around the need for significant budget reductions,” said CEO Shae Hopkins in a news release. “It is a sad but unavoidable situation for our dedicated team, and the loss will affect operations throughout the agency. However, even during this difficult time, KET remains as committed as ever to serving Kentuckians across the Commonwealth.”

The announcement follows the vote in Congress in July to rescind fiscal year 2026 and 2027 federal funding to CPB. The corporation will begin winding down operations Sept. 30.

In FY24, CPB gave nearly $4.2 million to the state network. That represented about 19% of KET’s total revenue of $21.7 million, according to an audited financial statement.

Since July, more than 10 public media organizations have announced layoffs tied to the rescission of CPB funding.