The Wyoming Community Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to Wyoming Public Radio to fund the Emergency Broadcasting Facilities Upgrade Project.
"WPR strongly believes in providing public safety communication to Laramie and citizens of Wyoming and takes this responsibility seriously," says Jon Schwartz, WPR's general manager. "This grant will substantially ensure a critical link in broadcasting public safety emergency announcements to residents of southeast Wyoming."
He says KUWR-FM is the primary Emergency Alert System (EAS) station for all radio stations, cable television and broadband providers in Albany, Carbon, Platte, Niobrara and Goshen counties. EAS is the federal emergency communications means for civil authority to alert citizens of national, state and local emergencies.
"If the EAS system is activated in this area, KUWR broadcasts an alert for all stations and the public," Schwartz says. Emergencies include National Weather Service severe weather statements, federal or state governmental EAS activation, and Amber Alerts.
The Wyoming Community Foundation (WYCF) grant will improve the reliability of the studio to transmitter link from the WPR studios in Laramie to the KUWR, KUWY and KUWL transmitter site on Pilot Hill in Albany County.
WPR is the University of Wyoming's non-profit commercial-free statewide network. WPR reaches more than 80 percent of the state, including Laramie, Casper, Cheyenne, Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston, Jackson, Lander, Riverton, Cody, Powell, Rawlins, Dubois, Gillette, Sheridan, Newcastle and Torrington plus numerous communities in between.
The WYCF is a charitable organization that builds and preserves funds established by individuals, families, corporations, agencies, and private foundations. The Community foundation uses the earnings from these funds to benefit community needs across the state of Wyoming.
