WKGC earns Florida Emergency Preparedness Association Media Award

Press Release from Gulf Coast State College

Panama City, Florida – In the days and weeks after Hurricane Michael, Gulf Coast State College’s public radio station, WKGC FM 90.7, was one of the few stations still on the air with the ability to disseminate emergency information to the public. Broadcasting from inside the Bay County Emergency Operations Center located on GCSC’s North Bay Campus in Southport, staff and volunteers worked around the clock providing the community with critical information directly from emergency management staff as well as local and state leaders.

The Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) noted their professionalism and service during the crisis and selected WKGC as the recipient of the 2019 FEPA Media Award. The award is presented to an individual or organization that has made substantial contributions to emergency management and will be presented at the FEPA 2019 Awards Ceremony on February 7, 2019, in Miramar Beach, FL.

“During Hurricane Michael, WKGC demonstrated the important role of public radio in the community,” said Scott Kirkman, WKGC Station Manager. “We were proud to have stayed on air throughout the storm passing along vital information to the local community. In an age where many look to radio as only a source of entertainment, Hurricane Michael helped us all to remember the vital role that radio can play in the community.”

Past award winners for Media Award by FEPA.

To an individual or organization of the news media for outstanding efforts to educate and inform the public about Emergency Management.

Media Award
2014 – Palm Beach County Public Affairs Department
2015 – Randy Wright, Division of Multimedia Properties, University of Florida
2016 – Brevard County Hurricane Myths
2017 – City of Orlando ESF-14 Team
2018 – Spectrum News 13 – Orlando, Florida