We are pleased to announce that KVIE’s president and general manager David Lowe has been awarded the Pillar of Public Service Award from America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) for his work establishing a partnership with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to deliver earthquake alerts and warnings in less than three seconds.
Thanks to a grant from the State of California for our digital conversion upgrade, KVIE now has the technology to alert people and agencies of a pending earthquake – the kind of emergency where seconds matter, giving people time to get to a door frame or drivers to avoid bridges. The pilot program specifically tested earthquake alerts and the datacasting system proved to be a success. Development is now in progress to link local and national safety communications efforts and provide new safety services.
Lowe views this public safety project as part of KVIE’s mission to help people achieve their highest potential. In accepting the award, Lowe said “through the addition of our public safety service, we will remain indispensable to our community in ways they – and even we – never knew possible.” He also thanked KVIE’s chief engineer Mike Cappi, PBS member station colleagues in California, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, specifically Art Botteral, for their work in driving the project forward.
APTS is a nonprofit organization that works to support the public television system and its mission. Each year, its Pillar of Public Service Award recognizes the contributions of an extraordinary leader in one of public television’s three essential public service missions: education, public safety, and civic leadership.
We congratulate David Lowe on his award!