Hopkins said, “We are extremely disappointed not to be at Fancy Farm, an event we have covered for decades. 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.”
Also canceled is a planned project to take Kentucky Edition and Kentucky Tonight programs to Murray for a week in September to highlight the region.
CPB funding was the primary source of support for KET’s local productions and related services, and the statement stated that more decisions regarding the elimination of federal funding would be made in the coming weeks.
Here at WUKY, Lexington's NPR affiliate, the cuts will result in a 13% reduction in the station's budget, which translates to between $120,000 and $150,000.
Kentucky’s entire Republican Senate and House delegation voted in favor of the CPB cuts, which also fund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.
U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, is the only Kentucky Congressman to vote against the cuts, saying they will hurt rural parts of the state that rely on public broadcast stations for news and emergency alerts.