The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which disburses government funding to noncommercial TV and radio, is providing $500,000 in emergency funds to stations in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The grants are to help stations with the increased costs due to "extraordinary storm damage."
“Public media stations in Texas and Louisiana are playing a vital role keeping their communities informed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey,” said CPB President and CEO Pat Harrison. “CPB is committed to supporting these stations so they respond to their community needs which will be for the long term.”
Already having tapped into the funds are KEDT-TV and KEDT-FM (both Corpus Christi) and Houston Public Media (KUHT-TV and KUHF-FM).
CPB pointed out that in Houston, KUHT-TV 's datacasting infrastructure helped first responders monitor flood conditions via live video delivered to the dashboards of emergency vehicles.
“We appreciate these stations’ outstanding efforts, perseverance and determination to continue to serve their communities throughout the storm," said Harrison of all the noncoms in the affected areas. "Stations in Texas and Louisiana have collaborated to share feeds and services, working in close concert with emergency responders, NPR and PBS to ensure their audiences get the news and emergency information they need."
