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Nebraska Public Media requests $850,000 to complete KUON transmitter upgrade and seeks operating increases
Summary
Stacy Decker, general manager of Nebraska Public Media, told the Appropriations Committee the organization needs additional biennial funding for utilities, maintenance and a capital project to replace KUON TV's VHF antenna with a UHF system and to prepare for the ATSC 3.0 broadcast transition.
Stacy Decker, general manager of Nebraska Public Media (also identified as the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission), asked the Appropriations Committee for funds to cover operating cost increases and to complete a capital construction project to transition KUON TV from VHF to UHF. Decker said the station’s approved 2023 capital allocation of $800,000 began the transmission replacement and the commission now requests an additional $850,000 in fiscal 2026 to finish the KUON transmitter and antenna work. “Your support is what enables us to tell Nebraska stories through trusted programming in news, sports, education, and culture,” Decker said.
Decker outlined multiple operating requests: increased DAS assessments and insurance (estimated $74,000 in 2026 and $22,500 in 2027), maintenance and technical supply funding (she asked to restore part of an original $50,000 request), additional operating support for four planned rural full-power radio stations (McCook, Broken Bow, Fall City and Columbus) and continued equipment replacement funding to keep pace with broadcast technology changes. She said the rural radio sites will fill gaps in FM coverage and support emergency alerts.
On the KUON capital project, Decker said the VHF-to-UHF transition will improve reception, position Nebraska Public Media for the industry’s ATSC 3.0 standard and enhance long-term reliability; installation was scheduled for the coming fall, she said. Decker warned that if the requested capital funding is not provided the transmitter project would be put on hold despite the station having ordered a new transmitter.
Committee members asked whether services the commission provides to the Legislature and to state public-safety broadcasters (for example, gavel-to-gavel legislative coverage and NOAA/Amber Alert-related transmitters) would be affected by operating shortfalls. Decker said those contracts would not necessarily be affected by the operating requests she outlined. She also confirmed the insurance increases are assessed through the Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
Ending: Decker closed by thanking the committee for prior support and offering her CFO to answer follow-up questions. No opponents testified on Agency 47 that day.
