Cincy Radio: WLW Gets PEP Studio Shelter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency expects to reveal new studio capabilities at WLW 700 AM in Cincinnati on Wednesday during a first of its kind broadcast from a shelter at the transmitter site of the National Public Warning System (NWPS) Primary Entry Point (PEP) radio station.

According to RadioWorld, the iHeartMedia radio station is one of 77 PEP radio stations across the country and the second to have added modernized emergency studio facilities. Enhanced studio capabilities were completed at WJR(AM) in Detroit earlier this year, according to Manny Centeno, FEMA’s NPWS program manager. The upgrades include increased sheltering capabilities, expanded broadcast capacity, and sustainable power generation for all types of hazardous events.

PEP stations are designed and hardened to withstand various natural disasters and man-made events to ensure continuity of operations. FEMA began an effort to upgrade PEP facilities in 2015 after Congress passed the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act.

FEMA is including studios within standalone modules to insure that PEP radio stations are capable of broadcasting during and after emergencies when other communication sources may be down, Centeno says.

“We always say that radio is the backbone of emergency information to the public. It’s a tested and proven method to reach the masses during disasters. Our intent is to protect radio so it can continue to serve the public as well as it has in the past,” Centeno adds.