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WOUB Receives Grant For Emergency TV Generators
< < Back to woub-receives-grant-emergency-tv-generatorsWOUB Public Media has received a $229,000 grant to purchase emergency power generators that will enable WOUB-TV to stay on the air when commercial power is interrupted.
The grant is part of the WARN project.
The “Warning, Alert and Response Network” (WARN) Act was passed by Congress to create a national emergency alert system, which requires Public TV stations to install equipment and technology to distribute geo-targeted emergency alerts that will eventually be available to reach people through commercial mobile service (CMS) providers.
The project is an update to the aging Emergency Alert System and is being designed to deliver multimedia alerts using video, audio, text, and graphics to cellphones, tablets, laptops and netbooks, as well as in-car navigation systems. The data will be fed through public television stations.
Steve Skidmore, WOUB Chief Technology Officer, says the grant will provide a critical service to the community.
“The generators will kick in when power is interrupted, on both WOUB-TV’s transmitters in Athens and Cambridge to provide critical information during emergency situations, no matter what the weather conditions are ” he said. “It will help us provide a quality service to the community."
The grants will help provide up to 72 hours of uninterrupted service and is expected to be in place by this fall.