The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer be able to dole out federal grants to help local media stations issue emergency alerts and warnings after congressional Republicans clawed back funding last month.
But the grants, administered under the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) program, will continue to be available and administered without the involvement of the CPB, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The change in the NGWS program’s structure will allow some rural communities and tribes to continue to receive timely alerts ahead of severe weather and natural disasters.
But the CPB’s announcement that it can no longer run the program has only compounded fears among some lawmakers and broadcasters that vulnerable communities could still be left in the dark during life-threatening weather events.
