Louisiana Educational Television Authority for the WLPB-TV
Transmitter, Baton Rouge, LA, Damaged During Hurricane Katrina
The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), on September 27, 2005, announced the award of a $283,320 emergency grant from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) to assist the Louisiana Educational Television Authority. The funds will be used to replace the television transmitter at WLPB-TV, Baton Rouge that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
WLPB-TV is the flagship station of the Louisiana Educational Televison Authority’s statewide network. Due to the destruction of the New Orleans public television stations by Hurricane Katrina, WLPB-TV is the only public television station serving New Orleans and southeast Louisiana.
The WLPB-TV transmitter is currently operating at twenty percent power due to hurricane damage. With this emergency grant, the transmitter will be replaced to restore full power and enable WLPB-TV to provide educational and public broadcasting services to southeast Louisiana.
WLPB-TV serves a population of approximately 412,500 permanent residents in southeast Louisiana. The station now also serves the many thousands more from New Orleans who have relocated to the Baton Rouge area in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The PTFP emergency grant award to the Louisiana Educational Television Authority will ensure that local educational and public television services will continue to be provided by the statewide network to the population of southeast Louisiana through the full-power transmission of WLPB-TV.
Specific Information about the emergency award follows:
Louisiana Educational Television Authority
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Baton Rouge, LA
22-02-N05243
A project for the emergency replacement of the WLPB-TV transmitter, Baton Rouge, LA, that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Contact: Ms. Beth Courtney
Phone (225) 767-4200
Federal Amount $ 283,320
Total Project Cost $ 377,760
This award is the 124th grant issued during FY 05. (Further information about the 123 awards NTIA announced on September 26, 2005, can be found at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/Projects/2005/ptfpfactsheet_2005.htm)
Including this emergency award, PTFP has awarded the following grants during FY 05:
Radio Grants 73 grants $ 7,393,969
Television Grants 39 grants $12,378,405
Nonbroadcast Grants 12 grants $ 1,956,445
TOTAL GRANTS 124 grants $21,728,819