CPB awards up to $1.8 million to four public media stations to improve emergency alerting

Public media stations in four states — California, New York, Oregon and Texas — will receive a total of up to $1.8 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to upgrade their equipment to provide enhanced emergency alerting. With these four, CPB has awarded 21 grants so far in the first round of funding for the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Public media stations have long played 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, replace and upgrade their infrastructure so that they can continue to keep their communities safe.” 

In 2022, FEMA selected CPB to establish and administer the NGWS grant program to help public media stations across the country create a more resilient and secure public alerting system. The program is providing $34 million to public media stations to upgrade their equipment and receive training to enhance alerting and warning capabilities, including the ability to use NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcast technology and comparable digital broadcast technology for radio stations. The program prioritizes public media stations serving rural, Tribal and underserved communities.

In June, CPB launched a Request for Applications (RFA) portal on the CPB website for a second round of funding. The total amount of NGWS grant funds available in this round is $48 million, approved in Fiscal Year 2023.

“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.”

Here are the latest stations to receive NGWS grants:

• Northern California Educational TV — KIXE-TV, Redding, California, up to $857,105 to upgrade the overall transmission signal, increasing emergency alert access. KIXE-TV covers rural Northern California, where the risk of wildfires is increasing.
• St. Lawrence Valley Educational Television Council — WPBS-TV, Watertown, New York, up to $276,444 to replace an aging transmitter, making the station fully ATSC 3.0 ready and providing a stronger signal and reaching more communities with emergency alerting in this rural area, from the Adirondack Mountains to the St. Lawrence River.
• Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs/KWSO-FM, Warm Springs, Oregon, up to $158,749 to install and upgrade emergency alert equipment at the radio station and towers and to establish an alternate transmitter site in case of emergency. The Warm Springs Reservation and the surrounding rural counties in the Cascadia Mountain range are prone to wildfires and earthquakes.
• Texas A&M University — KAMU TV/FM, College Station, Texas, up to $486,214 to improve the resiliency of broadcast signal origination and boost redundancy of the station’s transmission and related emergency alerting in the Brazos Valley.

Of the 21 stations to receive NGWS grants so far from the first round of funding, six are in Alaska, three in New York and three in Texas.

By state:

• Alabama: Alabama Public Television (up to $529,558).
• Alaska: Bethel Broadcasting - KYUK TV-AM-FM (up to $277,292); Kodiak Public Broadcasting - KMXT-FM (up to $51,670); KTOO Public Media, KTOO TV/FM (up to $252,209); Silakkuagvik Communications KBRW (up to $98,853); Stikine River Radio (CoastAlaska) KSTK-FM (up to $90,002); Unalaska Community Broadcasting - KUCB-FM (up to $224,081).
• California: Northern California Educational TV - KIXE-TV (up to $857,105).
• Colorado: Community Radio Project (KZET-FM, KSJD-FM, and KICO-FM in the Four Corners region) (up to $54,750).  
• Florida: IRSC Public Media, Indian River State College – WQCS-FM, WQCP-FM, and WQJS-FM (up to $165,680). 
• Indiana: PBS Fort Wayne, WFWA-TV (up to $185,086).  
• Michigan: Delta College Public Media - WDCQ-TV (up to $976,708).
• Mississippi: Mississippi Public Broadcasting (up to $221,000).
• Missouri: KMOS PBS, University of Central Missouri (up to $880,085).
• New York: Radio Catskill/WJFF-FM (up to $135,439); North Country Public Radio/St. Lawrence University/WSLU-FM (up to $109,675); St. Lawrence Valley Educational Television Council - WPBS-TV (up to $276,444).
• Oregon: Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs - KWSO-FM (up to $158,749).
• Texas: Alamo Public Telecommunications Council - KLRN-TV (up to $551,426); South Texas Public Broadcasting System - KEDT-TV/FM & KVRT-FM (up to $536,921); Texas A&M University - KAMU TV/FM (up to $486,214).

About the NGWS Grant Program:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded CPB a total of $96 million in FY 2022 and FY 2023-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 ngws@cpb.org.

About CPB:

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.