UF’s news station was recognized this year for its emergency preparedness.
WUFT’s Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) received the 2015 Media Award from the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association. The award recognizes FPREN’s efforts to educate and inform the state about emergency management.
“We were all shocked and thrilled,” said Randy Wright, UF executive director of Media Properties. “We had no idea that FPREN and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications’ media properties had been nominated.”
FPREN, which opened in the Fall, is a collaborative effort of the 13 public radio stations that serve the state, Wright said. WUFT FM Radio houses the storm center, which provides content for radio stations and their websites.
In the case of an emergency situation, like a hurricane or tropical storm, the quickest and easiest way to reach the people throughout the state is through FPREN, Wright said.
Janyth Righter, executive director of Florida Public Broadcasting Station, said she thinks of FPREN as an infrastructure for emergency evacuation.
Righter, who is currently in Washington, D.C., said Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator William Craig Fugate talked about the Florida system in a meeting. He said it was valuable, and he would like to see it implemented in other parts of the country.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/24/2015 under the headline “UF radio receives media award for emergencies”]
