CPB Awards More Emergency Grants to TV, Radio Stations

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has awarded an additional $450,000 in emergency grants to noncommercial TV and radio stations impacted by Hurricane Irma. That is in addition to the $180,000 already awarded to Texas stations affected by Hurricane Harvey.

The latest stations to get the money are WGCU-TV/FM, Fort Myers, Fla.($60,000); WJCT-TV/FM Jacksonville, Fla. ($60,000); WUFT-TV/FM Gainesville, Fla. ($60,000); WPBT-TV, Miami ($30,000)WDNA-FM Miami ($30,000); WLRN-TV Miami ($60,000); WIPR-TV/FM San Juan, P.R. ($60,000); WRTU-FM San Juan ($30,000); WMTJ-TV Rio Piedras, P.R. ($30,000); and WTJX-TV St. Thomas, V.I.

CPB has now awarded $630,000 to 14 TV and radio stations damaged by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Related: Feds Give Noncoms News Budget Boost

CPB is the independent authority established by Congress to dispense federal funding, which makes up about 15% of annual budgets but accounts for more when matching grants are factored in.

“Public media stations demonstrated their vital role keeping their communities informed as our country faced back-to-back hurricanes of epic proportions,” said CPB President Pat Harrison. “CPB is making these emergency grants to support stations’ immediate needs and is making a long-term commitment to their ability to serve their communities throughout the recovery.”

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.