The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced this week that Delta Public Broadcasting's WDCQ-TV (Bad Axe/Flint) is one of three public broadcasters awarded funding under the Next Generation Warning System grant program that funds public media stations to upgrade equipment and receive training to enhance alerting and warning capabilities.  The program is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The grant to Delta Public Broadcasting will enable the station to replace its broadcast infrastructure, making the station more resilient and ready to transition to NextGen TV standards.

“Public media stations have always played a vital role in emergency alerting in communities across the country,” said Patricia Harrison, President/CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “The Next Generation Warning System grant program is providing funding for public media organizations, especially in rural areas, to replace and upgrade their technology and infrastructure that enhances critical alerting and warning capabilities to help protect those communities.”

FEMA Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) Director Manny Centeno says the goal is to improve continuity and leverage new technologies that can reach the public wherever they are with alerts.

“FEMA is committed to building resilience by rapidly disseminating emergency communications to the public through diverse integrated pathways,” Centeno said in a statement. “FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System provides a suite of tools and resources for local authorities to effectively send emergency communications to the public.”

In 2022, FEMA selected CPB to establish and administer the NGWS grant program to help public media stations across the U.S. create a more resilient and secure public alerting system. The program prioritizes public media stations serving rural, tribal, and underserved communities. And that is where the money went this time.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency 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.

Other grants announced this week include public radio broadcasters in Southwest Colorado and in Barrow, Alaska.