As the calendar rolls deeper into November, I want to share an update that feels both historic and meaningful for everyone connected to 88.9 KETR. After nearly fifty years, our station is returning home.
When KETR first signed on the air in 1975, our studios were tucked into Room 111 of the Journalism Building on the East Texas State University campus. Within the next several weeks, we expect to move back into that same space — and into an expanded footprint that includes Room 113 next door, the longtime home of The East Texan, the former student newspaper. For the first time in years, journalism will once again live inside the Journalism Building. That matters on more than a symbolic level.
Yes, the overall square footage is a bit smaller than what we’ve occupied at Binnion Hall. But KETR today is designed for a leaner operation. Our workflows are tighter, our production tools more efficient, and our team is used to adapting. The new facility will fit who we are now and position us well for what comes next.
The new reality after July
This homecoming, right in the middle of KETR's 50th year on the air, is also happening in the same year that the federal appropriation for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was abruptly eliminated. It’s important to be clear about what that change meant.
There’s been no shortage of national commentary suggesting that this was a cut to NPR or PBS. It wasn’t. CPB funds local stations directly. NPR and PBS do not receive direct operating support from CPB. Stations like KETR do.
When Congress terminated CPB funding in July, stations across the country immediately lost the support that had underpinned public media for American citizens for more than fifty years. In our case, that loss represents roughly 70% of the revenue we can control. It is a foundational shift, not a minor adjustment.
We have already made several small but meaningful programming changes to absorb the impact. Without replacing about $150,000 in annual, reliable funding, more difficult decisions will eventually follow — including potential reductions to the nationally respected news, arts, and cultural programming our region counts on.
Lean, nimble, and already adjusting
Across the public media system, stations are evaluating what comes next. Here in Northeast Texas, we’re doing the same — with one notable advantage. We’ve had to be lean and nimble for a long time.
That experience has paid off. We’ve improved how we produce local programming. We’ve expanded our sports workflows. We’ve streamlined digital delivery and found new ways to operate with fewer resources. We can test ideas quickly, learn what works, and shift course without a months-long process.
Since August, we’ve seen something else worth noting: a steady stream of new and often unexpected contributions from listeners who didn’t wait for a pledge drive to act. Those gifts have helped stabilize us during a moment that has been deeply challenging for many stations our size. We are grateful.
What we know, and what we’re still learning
The future isn’t bleak, but it is uncertain. We don’t yet know what long-term support will look like in a post-CPB environment.
Here’s what we do know:
- Northeast Texas values local service.
- Listeners rely on KETR for local and statewide news.
- They count on us during severe weather.
- Families, alumni, and fans depend on our coverage of Lions and Tigers athletics.
- And longtime supporters of NPR’s flagship programs tell us quickly when something changes on the national schedule.
That relationship — between a station and the community it serves — is the core of public media. It remains intact here.
As we return home
Moving back into the Journalism Building is more than a logistical shift. It’s a chance to reconnect with our origins and build forward from a place that means something to this university and this region.
We will continue to look for new, sustainable revenue sources. We will continue to innovate locally. We will continue to adjust our programming carefully and intentionally. And we will keep serving Northeast Texas with the same commitment that has defined KETR since 1975.
Change is here, and more change is ahead. But so is opportunity. Our job is to meet this moment with clarity, honesty, and a steady hand — and to do what we’ve always done: serve our community.
If you have thoughts, questions, or ideas about KETR’s future, I welcome them. You can reach me anytime at jerrod@ketr.org.
