Submitted
CPB has awarded a total of 30 grants to date through the first round of funding for the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Stations in Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia are the latest to receive funding to upgrade equipment for public safety.
“Public media stations play a vital role in emergency alerting in communities across the country,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “The Next Generation Warning System grant program helps public media organizations, especially in rural areas, to replace and upgrade their infrastructure so that they can continue to keep their communities safe.”
The NGWS grant program, which prioritizes public media stations, provides funding for media organizations to upgrade their equipment and receive training to enhance alerting and warning capabilities, including the ability to use NextGen TV broadcast technology and comparable digital broadcast technology for radio stations.
“FEMA is committed to building resilience by rapidly disseminating emergency communications to the public through diverse integrated pathways,” said FEMA IPAWS Director Manny Centeno. “FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) provides a suite of tools and resources for local authorities to effectively send emergency communications to the public. We continue developing the Next Generation Warning System concept as we improve continuity and leverage new technologies, such as ATSC 3.0, that can reach the public wherever they are.”
Stations recently receiving NGWS funding are:
• Alabama A&M/WJAB-FM, Normal, AL, up to $246,263 to replace a 30-year-old transmitter, providing a stronger signal that reaches more underserved communities with emergency alerts.
• Tri-State Public Media/WNIN, Evansville, IN, up to $161,481 to replace and upgrade critical broadcasting infrastructure to ensure emergency alerts can be sent to rural and underserved communities.
• Smoky Hills Public Television/KOOD-TV, Bunker Hill, KS, up to $1,761,843 to update the main transmitter tower to ATSC 3.0 so that central and western Kansans will have access to enhanced emergency communications when the market transitions to the newest broadcast standard.
• Red River Radio/KDAQ-FM, Shreveport, LA, up to $80,642 to replace critical resiliency infrastructure, including three emergency generators, that will ensure rural and underserved communities have access to emergency communications.
• Mid-South Public Communications Foundation/WKNO-TV &WKNO-FM, Cordova, TN, up to $1,657,012 to replace two transmitters and two emergency generators to ensure the rural agricultural communities in Tennessee, Mississippi, and eastern Arkansas receive timely emergency communications.
• Blue Ridge Public Television/WBRA-TV, Roanoke, VA, up to $1,122,074 to replace critical broadcast infrastructure that will strengthen their signal in the mountainous region to reach more rural communities with targeted emergency alerts.
Last month, CPB received approximately 170 station applications totaling more than $109 million for the second round of NGWS funding. The total amount of NGWS grant funds available in round two is $48 million, approved by Congress in Fiscal Year 2023.
About the NGWS Grant Program
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded CPB a total of $136 million in FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024-appropriated funds to establish and implement the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program. CPB is administering a competitive grant program for public television and public radio stations to replace and upgrade infrastructure to expand alert, warning, and interoperable communications, creating a more resilient and secure public alerting system. For more information, visit cpb.org/NGWS or email us at [email protected].