NOAA Tests TV Datacasting for Weather Radio

RADIO ONLINE | Sunday, July 12, 2026 | 4:22pm CT

NOAA and SpectraRep

The National Weather Service (NWS) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with SpectraRep, LLC to evaluate whether broadcast television datacasting can provide a more resilient and redundant method of delivering NOAA Weather Radio content.

The project, led by NOAA's Mission Systems and Technology Office, will examine how existing digital television infrastructure can transport NOAA Weather Radio audio and data to transmitter sites and modern digital devices, particularly during emergencies when other communications networks may be unavailable.

For more than 50 years, NOAA Weather Radio has provided continuous weather forecasts, watches, warnings and emergency information to communities, emergency managers and partner organizations nationwide. The new collaboration is intended to strengthen the reliability and reach of those services without replacing the existing NOAA Weather Radio network.

"NOAA/NWS is looking forward to collaborating with SpectraRep, LLC to evaluate innovative approaches for delivering NOAA Weather Radio content via datacasting and other pathways for modernizing access to NOAA Weather Radio content," said George Jungbluth, Director of the NWS Mission Systems and Technology Office.

SpectraRep will work with NOAA to study the agency's current Weather Radio workflow and develop a demonstration showing how live NOAA Weather Radio content can be securely delivered through a local television broadcast partner to NOAA endpoints, including Weather Radio transmitters.

The project will also evaluate SpectraRep's AlertNow mobile platform, which is designed to receive alerts from multiple delivery paths, including broadcast datacasting, radio and internet sources, on a single device.