Jazz 91.9 WCLK and Raven Radio in Sitka, AK, will receive a total of up to $508,234 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to upgrade their equipment to provide enhanced emergency alerting. With these grants, CPB has awarded funding to 40 public media stations in 22 states so far for the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“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. WCLK's $195,331 will be used to replace and update aging equipment to address broadcast interuptions and improve the station's emergency alerting system.
"We could not ask for a better gift at this time than to receive notification of the NGWS award," said Wendy F. Williams, General Manager of WCLK. "For the first time in WCLK's history, the station will have backup generator tie in capability at both the broadcast tower and at the studio locations, enabling us to reliably broadcast during weather emergencies, power outages and more. And that's important because we can keep our communities informed without fear of going off the air when they need us most."
So far, 40 grants have been awarded in the initial round of funding, which drew from the $40 million allocated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2022. Congress subsequently appropriated $56 million in funding in FY 2023, and CPB received approximately 170 station applications requesting more than $109 million in the FY2023 round of NGWS funding. FEMA recently announced that CPB will administer a third round of funding from the $40 million Congress approved in FY 2024.
“FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is dedicated to enhancing resilience by quickly sharing emergency communications with the public through various integrated channels," said Manny Centeno, Director of FEMA IPAWS. "IPAWS offers a range of tools and resources that enable local authorities to effectively communicate emergencies to the public. We are continuously working on developing the Next Generation Warning System concept, improving continuity, and using advanced television and radio technologies, to ensure that we can reach the public wherever they are.”