The Corporation for Public Broadcasting recently announced its awarded five grants totaling $9.65 million to statewide public broadcasting networks in Louisiana, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, as well as KSUT Tribal Radio in Colorado.
The announcement comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, working with CPB, lifted a 65-day hold on $38 million in contract reimbursements to CPB for public media stations seeking to update their equipment to create a more resilient and secure public alerting system.
“In times of disaster, the American people need to know they can depend on public media to be there in their communities, providing emergency alerts and essential information,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “These grants fund critical infrastructure that ensures our stations can warn people to take cover, seek higher ground, and head for safety. Families can feel safer knowing that public media has their safety as a top priority.”
South Dakota Public Broadcasting in Vermillion, pending final contract negotiation, will receive up to $3.4-million dollar to buy and install 12 digital alert encoders/decoders, upgrade 10 FM stations so the entire statewide radio network can transmit in HD radio, and install equipment providing backup redundancy for the radio network in case of an emergency.
“This is exciting news,” said Julie Overgaard, Executive Director of South Dakota Public Broadcasting. “We thank CPB for the continued investment being made in the critical infrastructure we need to deliver vital alerting information to help keep our communities safe during emergencies.”