Nebraska Public Media: How the Ninth Public TV Station Built a National Influence

Nebraska Public Media is marking seven decades of service to the state, having launched its first television station on November 1, 1954, as the ninth public television station in the United States.

Operating initially as KUON-TV Channel 12, the station began broadcasting with borrowed equipment in a shared studio space with commercial station KOLN-TV in Lincoln, delivering three hours of live morning programming each weekday.

In 1956, a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation enabled the renovation of a studio in the basement of the Temple Building at 12th and R streets on the University of Nebraska city campus, where the station produced local programs such as “Yesterday in Nebraska,” “House and Home,” “Your Unicameral,” and “Backyard Farmer,” along with classroom instructional content and early sports coverage.

Jack McBride served as the station’s first employee and first general manager for 43 years, during which he pioneered advancements in television, cable, satellite, and interactive technologies, helping transform the station into a multimedia production center.

Under his leadership, Nebraska Public Media secured legislative funding in 1963 for a statewide educational television network and in 1969 for a state-of-the-art technology facility, with construction beginning on the latter in 1970.

The network’s program production expanded in the 1970s, including the creation of the poetry series “Anyone for Tennyson?” which aired on 110 PBS stations for three seasons and featured notable guests such as Valerie Harper, William Shatner, Henry Fonda, LeVar Burton, and Jack Lemmon.

Today, Nebraska Public Media’s archives represent more than seven decades of Nebraska’s history, culture, sports, music, news, and performing arts, reflecting its role as the state’s only statewide public broadcaster.

As of October 2024, the organization celebrated its 70th anniversary with statements from General Manager/CEO Stacey Decker, who noted her role as the fourth leader in the organization’s history and emphasized the ongoing mission to inform, inspire, and engage audiences across Nebraska and beyond.