Hello, Unix - Forums.
How can I set the DE to KDE on a fresh, netinst image of Debian Stable?
By default, it installs GNOME. Is there a way to change that?
While there is not a "KDebian" release I am aware of, it is easy to install KDE on a running Debian. Please check Debian KDE team web page.
To automate the install of KDE without first installing Gnome it's perhaps best to edit the TaskSel configuration.