Pressroom
For Immediate Release August 31, 2005
CPB To Provide Emergency Grants In Devastated Hurricane Areas
Financial assistance to help restore delivery of public broadcasting services
Washington, D.C. -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced immediate financial assistance to public broadcasting stations that suffered extraordinary losses affecting their ability to deliver service to their communities. "We have been following closely developments of the last two days in the hurricane ravaged areas and our hearts go out to station employees and their families who have suffered personal hardship," said Pat Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. "We are aware of their losses and the challenges they face to maintain the critical services upon which our viewers and listeners depend," she continued. CPB is now engaged in distributing a total of $500,000 in grants to stations to address their urgent and critical needs. These funds will be available immediately. A number of stations in the affected areas are off the air with significant equipment damage. Other stations are relying on back-up diesel power and will soon face fuel shortages and lack of replenishment sources. Even stations that avoided equipment failures are incurring extraordinary expenses to provide local news coverage and public safety information. Numerous public broadcasting stations around the country are pitching in to help their colleagues with equipment, professional assistance, and offers of fundraising support. Stations are also providing information to evacuees and working with relief agencies to inform the public about where to donate and how to help. CPB will work with other public broadcasting organizations over the coming weeks and months to support stations' efforts to restore their facilities and services to full operation.
About CPB
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,100 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.