Following a major loss of federal funding, southern Minnesota’s only PBS station has transferred control to Twin Cities Public Television.
TPT took over operations of KSMQ/15.1 (Austin) on April 14 through a management and programming agreement, according to documents filed with the FCC.
An asset acquisition agreement states KSMQ Public Service Media will transfer KSMQ’s license and assets to TPT for no monetary consideration and that TPT will “incur the costs and expenses” of running the station.
The asset acquisition agreement states, “due to the unanticipated loss of federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (“CPB”), KSMQ anticipates it will be unable to financially sustain its operations in the near future.”
A statement posted on KSMQ’s website also cites last year’s clawback of federal funding, saying it forced the station to “quickly find other revenue sources or face closure.”
“We have worked hard over the last year to identify other sources of revenue but ultimately, we could not overcome the loss of over 40% of our budget,” the statement says.
No programming changes were immediately announced. The management and programming agreement gives TPT the right to simulcast its primary PBS station, KTCA/2.1 (St. Paul), on KSMQ, subject to approval from PBS.
KSMQ’s current local productions include “Off 90,” “Farm Connections,” and “Food Connections.” The station’s statement says the partnership with TPT and continued donations “will ensure that our communities continue to have access to trusted, local programming.”
For decades, KSMQ has competed for viewers with both TPT and Iowa PBS. TPT is carried on cable systems in Austin, Rochester, and other cities. Iowa PBS’ KYIN/24.1 (Mason City) is available to broadcast, satellite, and streaming viewers in Austin and Rochester and is also carried on cable in Austin.
KSMQ is also carried on cable in Mason City. Additionally, KSMQ and TPT are both carried on cable in Mankato, which does not have its own PBS station.
Current program schedules show KSMQ and Iowa PBS carry different afternoon and prime time programming, but simulcast the same PBS Kids programming for most of the morning.
KSMQ’s subchannels carry DW-TV, Create, and the Minnesota Channel, the latter of which originates at TPT and is carried on subchannels of all PBS stations in Minnesota and North Dakota.
KSMQ first signed on in 1972 as KAVT-TV, operated by Austin Public Schools as part of the Austin Area Vocational-Technical Institute. Its signal was initially limited to the immediate Austin area.
After an upgrade to reach more of southern Minnesota, the station changed its callsign to KSMQ in 1984. In 2005, Austin Public Schools transferred the license to KSMQ Public Media, a non-profit group. The station moved to a new facility in downtown Austin in 2022.
Minnesota is the only state in the Upper Midwest without a statewide PBS network and has five different PBS services operating around the state. TPT does not currently own any stations outside of the Twin Cities.