“I have watched with satisfaction the growth of educational television in Arkansas and look with much hope to an even brighter future of greater service in the field of education in this state.”
Kyle Kellams: Randy Dixon.
Randy Dixon: Happy new year.
Kellams: Happy new year. Randy Dixon is with the Pryor Center, the full name, the–
Dixon: The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.
Kellams: There you go. It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve said that.
Dixon: I know.
Kellams: And every Monday or almost every Monday, we go into archives from the Pryor Center, many of them from KATV to talk about Arkansas history. Who’d we just hear?
Dixon: Well, this week we’re going to talk about Arkansas public television and the history of it. That was Orval Faubus in 1971. According to my math, it was the fifth anniversary of what was then KATS, channel two, as I knew it as a child. It was what was to become the Arkansas Educational Television Network, or AETN, which now called Arkansas TV, has been in the news of late because of the decision to drop the PBS affiliation. Arkansas is the first state to sever ties with PBS, effective July 1, 2026. So this week’s segment is simply about the history of Arkansas Educational Television and its relationship with KATV, my alma mater and the source of our archives. Let’s start with the history.
Kellams: Okay.
Dixon: KETS, channel two signed on on Dec. 4, 1966. And at the time, its transmitter sat on KATV’s 2,000-foot tower in Redfield. The first director was state senator Lee Reeves. And from the KATV collection, this is Reeves on the first day of broadcast:
“I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to a staff that seems very dedicated. The engineers have worked nights, and maybe I shouldn’t say this, but even Sundays trying to get ready. The program group with Mr. Smuts and Mr. Delaplaine. Mr. Smuts for the program, Mr. Delaplaine with the engineering part have gone way beyond the normal call of duty when getting this ready, and I don’t feel that I have anything credit particularly, except just leaning on a staff that has worked. They have shown a lot of ingenuity in planning things, and we’re just real proud of what we have, ready to go on the air with.”
Kellams: 1966. It should be pointed out, there weren’t that many PBS shows existing in the mid-1960s.
Dixon: Right. And this was a very small start for public television. He was joined at this news conference in the AETN studios by the president of the AEA, Dr. Silas Snow. Here’s Dr. Snow:
“We are excited about the impending time to get on the air. Much work, as you know, has been done by many persons in the state to make this possible. The first committee was appointed in 1959 to explore the possibilities of establishing educational television for Arkansas. And since this time, many persons have worked untireingly to see this date become a reality.”
Kellams: I was a kid in the late ’60s in rural north central Arkansas. We did not receive KETS. There was no way that we could get public television.
Dixon: Right. Because it started as that one station with a tower in Redfield, and it covered central Arkansas. There were plans to expand, and the way to do that is to place other transmitters and towers around the state. So in 1973, Lee Reeves, who was still head of AETN, announced plans for additional transmitters around the state to make it a true statewide network:
“First station went on the air on Dec. 4, 1966. We covered a radius of about 85 miles by being on the tall tower and being a low-channel VHF channel two, we were able to get unusually good coverage. In fact, few stations cover as much territory as we have on that line. We covered about 850,000 of the two million people in this first station that we had on the air. But the whole plan had been to put other stations on as fast as possible to cover the state. We were anticipating in ’65 that in ’67, ’69 we would probably get from the General Assembly one more transmitter. But we went until 1973 before the General Assembly then appropriated enough money to complete a statewide network.”
Dixon: I found this in the archives. You know, KATV covered a lot of events that took place at AETN because of our relationship with them. We traded resources, traded footage, that sort of thing.. I found this from 1981, and here’s Tony Guyton:
“…Channel two KETS signed on the air Dec. 4, 1966. It’s about to start its 16th year of service, so seems only fitting, while celebrating their anniversary, they should celebrate the addition of a 28,000-square-foot building. KETS has been in the section since last September, but called on Public Broadcasting President Edward Fister to speak during the formal dedication today. He spoke of continued national support.”
“The first is to strengthen the support of the American people. We must involve people, more people, the listening and viewing public.”
“Secondly, Fister claims public broadcasting needs a long-range commitment from Congress. He would like to see 10 years.”
“Third, we must probe because we have obligations and responsibilities and put in place certain openings to the commercial marketplace. But we must be careful not to endanger the noncommercial base of what we are and what we do.”
“The new addition cost about $801,000, and was named in honor of the director of AETN, the R. Lee Reeves Center for Educational Telecommunications. Tony Guyton News Scene 7, Conway.”
Kellams: Those of us in north central Arkansas couldn’t get educational television from Arkansas. You know, we got our TV stations from Springfield, Missouri. They didn’t yet have a PBS affiliate. So the NBC affiliate there, KYTV, just put Sesame Street on at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Dixon: Wow.
Kellams: They gave up an hour of time. You know, it was noncommercial. So the relationships between educational television and commercial stations and markets around the country was very, you know, very close.
Dixon: Well, it was, and we always did at KATV. And we thought of it as, we’re not in direct competition. So why not help for the common good of public television.
Kellams: Now, that said, public media always has to upgrade. Things wear out.
Dixon: Oh, gosh. And it was usually public television that was on the tail end of the technology. So in 1987, after more than two decades on the air, the network needed updating, at least equipment wise. And they did that under the direction of a broadcast veteran named Jean Goss.
“We need to rack up a new set of antenna panels, because the old ones are just wearing out. They’ve been up there since 1966, and time has wreaked its toll.”
“The work is a monumental undertaking, mostly because it’s being done almost 1,800 feet straight up. Through a deal worked out about 21 years ago, KETS is perched atop the KATV tower at Redfield. The state rents the space for one dollar a year. These six-foot-high panels will be hoisted to the top by a winch bolted in place, and it should make some improvement in reception.”
Dixon: So yeah. Doug Hurst, who was the reporter on that, mentioned there was a dollar a year rental fee for AETN’s transmitter to be on KATV’s tower at Redfield. As a matter of fact, AETN’s analog antenna was still on Channel Seven’s tower when it fell in 2008.
Kellams: Wow.
Dixon: But I did talk to our friend Larry Foley, who is retiring soon. Not yet, but well known here at the university and elsewhere as professor and documentary filmmaker. But he’s in the unique position of having worked at both KATV and AETN. And when I was talking to him the other day, he pointed out he’s basically had three jobs in his life. He started at Channel Seven in 1977 and then about ten years later went to AETN, and about ten years after that came to the U of A. And that’s where he is now. So that’s his trajectory.
Kellams: Yes.
Dixon: Anyway, I talked to him about that relationship that we’ve discussed about public and private TV.
“When I left KATV, I stayed on for another year freelancing and, when I was promoted into a position of leadership. Um, well, I turned to Channel Seven for some folks, and hired some folks from their newsroom to produce Arkansas-based programming when Raymond Ho was the executive director and Mike Montler, his right-hand man, they had a real strong emphasis on in local programming. And that meant not unlike what I think they’re going to try to do now. That meant that we needed to gear up. People provide jobs to go out there and do those Arkansas stories. But down through time when I was there, and I was there for nine years, the commercial television stations in Arkansas, especially Channel Seven, were really friendly to educational television in Arkansas. There was not a competition. They had different missions, and having worked at both places, that was kind of a nice spirit. You well know, Randy, that the television world in Arkansas is kind of a small neighborhood and everybody knows everybody else. So having the spirit of partnership and cooperation between public and commercial television, that was always a positive thing.”
Dixon: In 1985, then PBS President Bruce Christensen was in Arkansas, and Steve Barnes talked to him about his impressions. First impressions. He’d never been to Arkansas before, but his impressions of AETN.
“Well, we found an institution that is operating very well, an institution that’s raising money from its public institution in the Arkansas Educational Television Network. That’s really becoming one of the rising stars in the public broadcasting constellation.”
“What separates it from, say, other systems?”
“I think primarily the ability to use the money they’re raising to one, get more money, and then to translate that total asset into some significant programming contributions to the community. It’s the translation, making good the promise that if you contribute to public broadcasting, that in fact you’ll get something good in return. And that’s what we see happening.”
Dixon: Which brings us up to the new Arkansas TV. I had a chance to talk to the new executive director, Carlton Wing. And I asked him, what basically, what is the future of Arkansas public television?
“Public television is in a world of change right now. And because of the federal funding cuts, we’ve had to reassess, what are we doing with public television? And really, what is the primary goal of public television? Why do we need to continue to be funded by our state legislatures by donors and things like that? What is different about public television from commercial television? When we look at it historically, back in 1966, when we began here at AETN, there were only three other television stations on the air. So there was an argument to be made that we needed to have a television station that is specifically geared towards meeting the educational needs of the people within its viewership. Now it’s a different world. We have hundreds of television stations and infinite, seemingly, on the internet, a lot of opportunities to find entertainment and even education out there. So how do we transfer into the year 2026 now and provide viable programming and content for our viewership?
“And we certainly believe that public television has a voice. It’s very, very necessary for us to be able to meet the needs of constituencies who are underserved or not able to be reached by commercial television. And, and so we intend to do that. And that’s one of the primary features of us transitioning to Arkansas TV is to provide an Arkansas-based focus on our programming and meeting those educational needs. Um, that is exciting from a creative standpoint. There’s never been anything like this in public television, really, since the day we began and started to answer that question as what, what do we have to provide that’s unique for our viewership and to justify the investment that is placed in us.”
Kellams: So local programming, I don’t think many people would have a challenge with that.
Dixon: No, not at all. It’s just a matter of getting it done. Now, one of those local programs is Arkansas Week.
Kellams: Which has been on for a while.
Dixon: Since 1983. And I believe it’s the longest running public affairs program in the state. When you have topics like politics and the economy and social issues, you’re bound to rustle some feathers. And in 1986, those feathers were on state legislators. So here’s a piece from 1986 from KATV’s John Dewey.
“The makers of Arkansas Week say the future of the show is at stake. They’re worried about the influence lawmakers can have over the contents of the program. Director Raymond Ho says the pressure by state officials makes it very difficult to put on a lively discussion of events.”
“A little bit like I have a machete on one side of my neck and a machine gun on the other. But the fact is, I have faith in the Arkansas people. They watch AETN, and I have faith in the press that watches what we do.”
“Ho says Sen. Knox Nelson made it known he disapproves of the contents of Arkansas Week because the show frequently questions the conduct of public officials. But according to John Robert Starr, another panelist on the show, Nelson has had a slight change of heart.”
“And Knox was kind enough to assure me that under no circumstances will he be vindictive toward Arkansas Educational Television Network. Under no circumstances would he hold up their budget next year as a consequence of anything that has happened. I was glad to hear him say that. I think it’s the right attitude.”
“Still, another panelist on the show felt the lawmakers’ recent actions have amounted to a form of censorship and intimidation. While none of the legislators involved agreed to appear on the show to respond to the panel, the commentator did leave an open invitation for them to respond in the future. John Dewey, News Scene 7.”
Kellams: He mentions Knox Nelson there.
Dixon: Yes, he does.
Kellams: Who’s a Democrat? Was a Democrat, right?
Dixon: Well, everybody was a Democrat, right?
Kellams: Just want to point out that when you’re in the media, you’ll eventually hear from both parties that they don’t like something you did.
Dixon: Yes. And, you know, the longest standing host of Arkansas Week is Steve Barnes, still there today. But when I talked to him, he remembered Knox Nelson not being too happy with him. But, you know, it just kind of came and went.
Kellams: Right.
Dixon: And I will say that when I was talking to Barnes, he told me that he has never felt any pressure inside or outside for him to alter any content in his program. But this is what Barnes had to say about AETN’s flagship program.
“My philosophy on Arkansas Week is now, and always has been, that it is at its very best. It’s really fulfilling its mission when it involves what I call matters that matter, when it takes on issues of public policy and furthers the public debate. Sheds light for an audience on the story behind the story. I think that’s when the broadcast, that’s when Arkansas Week is at its very best.”
Kellams: All right. So Arkansas Week’s been on. It’s a staple of Arkansas broadcasting. Arkansas TV now wants to have more local programming.
Dixon: Well, a lot more.
Kellams: A lot you’re going to have to fill, because if you’re going to be 24/7. So will it be like Arkansas Week?
Dixon: Well, so how much local are we talking about? Let’s hear Carlton Wing right now.
“If we go back and just look at the calendar year of 2025, we produced 5 ½ % of the programming that was on our station, which is a very, very low number. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why the Arkansas State Legislature is asking the question, do we need to continue to fund public television? And everything that we are doing is seeking to enhance the need that, yes, indeed, public television is valuable and has a very necessary place in the Arkansas landscape. One of the ways that we answer that is with more local programming. So we will jump very quickly to 30% and then we will just continue to march on from there. But you will definitely see a focus on Arkansas programs and highlighting our great natural state.”
Dixon: So while I had him on the line, I also talked to him about Arkansas being the first state to lose their PBS affiliation and I asked him, is this just the beginning or will it happen in other states?
“Absolutely. I mean, everybody has similar finances. When the funding cuts came from the federal level, everybody had to address that. We chose to address that by turning our focus on Arkansas and enhancing our local production so that we have viability with our state legislature, who provides 60% of our funding. Only 20% came from the federal government. And so we need to meet the needs of Arkansans in order for us to be able to survive and keep public television alive in Arkansas.
“Other states are facing the exact same scenario, albeit with some slightly different math, every state has a unique financial structure. But I was in conversation with other states really from the moment that I got here on Sept. 30 of last year to find out what other people were doing and what other states were considering. And there are other states that are absolutely in very, very similar financial strain that we are in. And we’ll have to make some of those kinds of decisions, they have every right to make the decision that is best for their financial long-term stability. When we looked at our numbers, we saw that if we continued down this path, paying $2.5 million for national network dues that we were paying, we were going to be bankrupt in two years. And that was just something that we could not let happen for public television to end like that.”
Kellams: All right. Um, so this is what we do every Monday. We talk about some Arkansas history using some archives. And thanks to you, Randy, some new interviews. We’re going to keep doing this in 2026.
Dixon: You betcha. Every week, every Monday.
Kellams: There is no wrong answer to this question. Know what we’re talking about next week?
Dixon: I have no idea.
Kellams: I love that. All right. Thank you, Randy.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
