KGOU Radio

PROJECT PURPOSE

KGOU Radio seeks funding for an emergency auxiliary transmitter to serve the Oklahoma City metro area and help deliver emergency information to regional transmitters in Clinton and Woodward. KGOU is licensed to the University of Oklahoma, and reaches more than 1,000,000 people in 36 counties. The average weekly audience in metro area is 70,000 to 90,000 people. KGOU is consistently ranked as the first or second highest rated news/talk radio station in the Oklahoma City market - providing news, weather, traffic and emergency information. Generally, KGOU delivers updates during weather emergencies, and during COVID-19 it provided updates on community health matters throughout the listening area through transmission facilities in Oklahoma City, Norman, Ada, Seminole, Shawnee, Chickasha, Clinton and Woodward. The auxiliary transmitter would allow KGOU to maintain continuity of service to the public in the event of a failure of the primary OKC transmitter located on the KFOR tower on Britton Road in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management and FEMA are working on a new plan to deliver emergency information in the state through KGOU's broadcast facilities. Moreover, this request would enable KGOU to equip its Oklahoma City transmitter locations (primary and auxiliary) to send national Emergency Alert System (EAS) tests and emergency activations to local and state primary EAS authorized broadcast operations. It is important for KGOU to harden its infrastructure and capability to deliver critical information during periods of time when these transmissions are needed for public safety and the primary transmission facility is compromised. ARPA funding would enable KGOU to serve as a hub for broadcast distribution of emergency alerts, presidential notification and other public health and safety information and transmit it to other radio stations across the state. This would provide a reliable alternate path for these urgent notifications, which currently pass from KRMG Radio in Tulsa through an internet connection to commercial station KXXY in Oklahoma City. This one-source internet connection method of distribution is subject to hacking, internet service stability issues and concerns of single-point of failure, which would leave the Oklahoma City metro and most of the state without critical national emergency alert information. The stability and continuity of the KGOU signal from its primary and auxiliary locations would ensure delivery of emergency alerts and public health information to the state EAS system for statewide distribution. FEMA and OEM have identified KGOU as a necessary partner in the state's new emergency notification plan. KGOU is uniquely positioned for this service because it receives direct national emergency alert tests through an existing satellite receiver system.

EVIDENCE

The project would be validated through records provided to and by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

This project will benefit residents of the Oklahoma City metro area and communities across the state served by the Emergency Alert System. Due to KGOU's extensive reach from east-central to central and west and northwest Oklahoma, KGOU has provided emergency information, including COVID-19 updates, vaccination information and other public health data and statements, throughout the pandemic. For many cities and communities in the KGOU's 36-county listening area, KGOU is the primary source of credible local/state news and information. These communities include rural areas and locations where other broadcast stations have limited reach and capacity. Sometimes called "news deserts," lightly-populated rural areas and small cities and towns have limited access to important news and emergency alerts. This is especially acute among Oklahomans who are of lower socio-economic status, for whom KGOU is their community's local radio news station. During the pandemic, KGOU produced a COVID in Schools Tracker that provided constantly updated public health information about the extent of COVID-19 infections and safety precautions that was relied on by school administrators, teachers, parents, students and community leaders. KGOU's mission is to provide necessary information, including emergency alerts and notifications, to those throughout its listening area. KGOU includes this information in news stories and places public service announcements in its regular community calendar listings and on-air updates. This service was especially important during the pandemic and continues to be an essential element of KGOU's service to all residents it reaches through broadcast and digital distribution. This project will ensure that not only will KGOU be able to provide critical emergency and public health and safety information, but all radio stations in the state will also be able to provide enhanced service during public health and safety emergencies.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance is routinely tracked, in accordance with federal regulation, by testing and recording successful compliance, as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Receipt of emergency alerts and notifications by the public is also quantifiable through monitoring of information delivered to broadcast outlets and heard by the public.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma