Non-commercial broadcasters have until March 17 to submit their applications for Public Telecommunications Facilities Program grants from the National Telecommunications Information Agency.
The PTFP funds the construction of new public radio and television stations and new non-broadcast public telecommunications facilities as well as the public radio and TV digital conversion and equipment replacement at pubcast radio and TV stations.
These matching grants are for fiscal year 2011; For FY 2010, NTIA awarded 126 PTFP grants for radio and television, including 69 radio awards and 57 television awards. The radio awards ranged from $11,000 to plan for a new radio station on the Hualapai Reservation in Peach Springs, Ariz., to $111,940 to replace the automation system at KSUT(FM), Ignacio, Colo. The project also included a voice-over production room, an emergency generator at the station, generators at two transmission sites, a hot standby for the main STL, and air-conditioning for the production studios. KEXP(FM), Seattle received a $52,018 grant so the University of Washington station could buy and install a new HD Radio transmitter and increase the station’s HD power. At $449,910, Northern Community Radio received the highest radio grant to activate KBXE(FM) in grand Rapids, Minn. with new studios and full origination capabilities.
Typical grants for television were $ 778,504 to the Milwaukee Area Technical College District Board for a transmitter upgrade, with a new circular antenna and transmission line for WMVS(DT), Milwaukee, Wis. along with a digital translator replacement and $821,707 to Northern California Public Broadcasting to replace master control equipment at KQED(TV), San Francisco.
NTIA outlines on its website the typical radio gear covered in the grants.
PTFP will host webinars during the next few weeks on the application process. The first webinar is this Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern. E-mail NTIA’s Lynn Chadwick at [email protected] by close of business the day before the session begins to receive a link to attend the webinar.
