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SCETV CEO says $3.2M federal funding ended, highlights tower revenue and emergency role
Summary
Adrienne Farewell, president and CEO of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio, told a legislative subcommittee SCETV lost about $3.2 million in federal funding and now relies on state appropriations, a long-term T-Mobile tower lease and endowment reimbursements; she outlined investments in streaming, emergency communications and a staffing realignment.
Adrienne Farewell, president and CEO of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio, told a legislative subcommittee that the broadcaster has diversified revenue after the loss of a federal funding stream and emphasized the agency's role in public safety communications.
Farewell said the State General Fund provides roughly 26.65% of SCETV's FY'26 budget, equal to about $10.7 million, while broadband-lease income accounts for roughly 20.56% of revenue tied to SCETV's spectrum agreements. She described a 30-year lease with T-Mobile now in its 17th year, and said the agency operates more than 500 towers statewide that generate market-rate lease income.
The agency also receives reimbursements for programming from the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, a nonprofit fundraising arm Farewell described as contributing about 23.98% of funding in reimbursements for eligible production costs. Farewell said SCETV partnered with the State Department of Education on a $1.4 million data-casting pilot and has expanded digital dashboards to measure reach and engagement.
Farewell told lawmakers SCETV lost approximately $3,200,000 in federal funding after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding stream ended. She said the agency prepared by realigning its budget and personnel, renegotiating tower contracts and diversifying partnerships, but that the agency has not fully replaced federal support.
Farewell highlighted SCETV's emergency role, saying its towers and infrastructure supported agencies such as SLED, DNR, EMD and NOAA during crises and that SCETV's network remained operational when other systems failed during Hurricane Helene. She said the agency has added rapid-response studios and geolocated streaming capacity in multiple regions to improve local emergency coverage.
On governance and statutory authority, Farewell cited SCETV's enabling statute (Title 59, Chapter 7) and noted a new proviso that prioritizes locally produced news, education and transparency programming; she urged updating older statutory language to reflect current activities. Farewell also flagged two provisos (discussed in testimony as "proviso 8.4" and "proviso 8.5") as areas needing clarification for partnership and leasing authority.
In questioning, committee members asked how SCETV is using artificial intelligence. Farewell said the agency is working with Representative Bradley's AI committee on AI literacy for K-12 classrooms, uses AI for some video creation and is focused on media literacy and responsible use of tools in educational settings.
She closed by inviting legislators to tour SCETV facilities. No formal action or vote on agency funding was taken during the hearing.
