An initiative that supports radio stations at historically Black colleges and universities received a major cash boost from the Ford Foundation recently.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project (HBCU RPP) received $750,000. It said the funds enabled it “to provide unrestricted budget infusions to 14 HBCU radio stations through a non-competitive formula-based grant process. The money helps fill gaps and contributes to the stations’ long-term sustainability.”
It listed various uses of the money: to stabilize operations; support essential staffing; sustain and expand programming; maintain and upgrade critical broadcast and digital infrastructure; cover carrier fees; address funding shortfalls due to the loss of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and support community engagement and long-term sustainability initiatives.
It will also be used to help station personnel travel to the 2026 HBCU RPP Symposium in Baltimore in November.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is a project of the Center for Radio Preservation and Archives at WYSO in Ohio.
“In partnership with the Northeast Document Conservation Center the project provides free preservation services for radio stations and institutional archives at historically Black college and universities, or HBCUs.”
The project says nearly a third of 101 HBCUs have radio stations, and that many have been on the air for more than 50 years.
Radio stations that received grants include WNSB (Norfolk State University); KTSU (Texas Southern University); WCLK (Clark Atlanta University); WURC (Rust College); WESM (University of Maryland Eastern Shore); WPRL (Alcorn State University); WJSU ( Jackson State University); WEAA (Morgan State University); WNCU (North Carolina Central University); KJLU (Lincoln University); WRVS (Elizabeth City State University); WSSB (South Carolina State University); WJAB (Alabama A&M University) and WVAS (Alabama State University).
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