Latest / In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson / Alabama Public Television's Future - TPR's In Focus - Aptil 24, 2026

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Alabama Public Television's Future - TPR's In Focus - Aptil 24, 2026 · In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson

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  Support comes from the Wiregrass Archives at Troy University's Dothan Campus,
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  identifying and preserving historical documents and photographs for research related to the
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  Wiregrass region. More information at troy.edu slash wiregrass archives.
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  From Troy Public Radio, this is the news wrap from In Focus, and I'm Carolyn Hutcheson. Todd
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  Stacy, host of Alabama Public Television's Capital Journal, discusses a contentious meeting
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  of the Alabama Educational Television Commission, and the wild card is buzzing.
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  Todd, welcome back to the news wrap here at Troy Public Radio from your post at Alabama Public
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  Television. It's good to be with you, as always. Todd, Alabama Public Television and PBS are in
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  the news. What's going on? Yeah, it's true, and we report the news. We don't like to be the news,
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  but there was another Alabama Educational Television Commission meeting this week.
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  That's the board that oversees APT, and just more of this kind of bickering continued.
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  The talk of maybe disaffiliating from PBS. Now, the good news was that the board actually took
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  a vote to remain with PBS and indefinitely remain with PBS. That's great, because otherwise
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  it would have been a real mess. If you take away all that programming, including children's
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  programming and educational programming, there really isn't an APT, so I'm glad that that at
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  least happened. They also voted to take a poll, use rainy day funds to do a poll of Alabama voters
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  and how they feel about all this, and it's really kind of seen as unnecessary. It passed by one vote,
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  and so I'm not sure what the future holds there. The big problem is the board continues to bicker
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  about PBS and its place in Alabama, and that's just unfortunate, because every time that happens,
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  we lose supporters. But the good news is APT is going to be with PBS indefinitely, and we're happy
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  about that. Well, Todd, actually today is the first day of our spring on-air fun drive where our theme
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  is securing the future, and that's exactly what you and I are talking about, securing the future
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  of public broadcasting. Well, that's exactly right. Yeah, and that's why it's good news that we're
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  remaining with PBS. I want everybody to take that away from all this, but it's also important
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  to remember how critical public broadcasting is, and I include you, Carolyn, the incredible work
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  that you do in Troy Public Radio and our other colleagues across the state. Public broadcasting
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  is essential to this state, to this country. It is the people's broadcast. This 250th year we talk
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  about of the people, by the people. That's what public broadcasting is, and so I hope folks out
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  there will continue to support Troy Public Radio and APT and other public broadcasters out there,
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  because I feel like it really is important for us as a state to be informed and to have those
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  wonderful programs that enrich our lives. Including your program, Capital Journal. Well,
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  time for me to get another tote bag. And well-deserved. Who are your guests on Capital
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  Journal tonight and on Sunday? Yeah, it's going to be a fun show. Liz Fillmore, that's the governor's
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  chief of staff, going to have her on. Also, Katherine Robertson. She is in this race for
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  attorney general. It's really heating up. We like to have all the candidates on. And also, from
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  Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Todd Schmidt and Quinn Gresham are going to come on to talk about
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  the new show, Reconstruction. It actually opened this week. So, great show tonight. That's Capital
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  Journal, 730 on APT. Todd, thank you so much. Absolutely. I'll be giving myself. Well, Todd had
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  to leave for an important meeting, so here's the wild card. Have you heard about the East Tennessee
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  Interstate around Knoxville I-40? There was a truck on the ramp, and it was carrying a million
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  bees. The truck turned over, and guess what? The bees escaped. Everyone was wondering what to do.
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  They had to stay in their vehicles, but here came the rescuer in beekeeper garb. So, because this is
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  the first day of our spring on-air fun drive, we're asking you to give us a buzz on your phone
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  and make a pledge at 800-800-6616, or join us online at troypublicradio.org, and let us know
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  how Troy Public Radio serves you. Todd Stacy delivered the news wrap as host of Alabama Public
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  Television's Capital Journal. More information can be found at the website aptv.org. Thanks for
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  joining us today for the news wrap from In Focus, which is a podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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  I'm Carolyn Hutcheson, and this is listener-supported Troy Public Radio.