Native Broadcast Summit 2025: Advancing Tribal Media Sovereignty and Community Resilience

Bernalillo, NM—May 5-6, 2025—For over two decades, Native Public Media (NPM) has supported over 60 tribal radio and television stations as essential platforms for education, cultural preservation, and emergency communication. NPM’s 2025 Native Broadcast Summit (NBS) gathered media professionals from throughout the United States. This year’s theme, “Building Alliances: Strengthening Partnerships for a Better Future,”resonated throughout the conference. Tribal broadcasters, journalists, producers, Tribal representatives, and media partners united to strengthen their vital role as storytellers, culture preservationists, and community safety advocates.

This year’s Summit underscored the importance of collaboration by focusing on emergency preparedness, digital innovation, and policy engagement reflecting a shared commitment to advancing media sovereignty and community resilience. By reinforcing Tribal broadcasters’ infrastructure, the event ensured that reliable and independent media reaches even the most remote and underserved communities. The emphasis on improving emergency response networks empowers Tribal broadcasters to safeguard their communities through swift and coordinated crisis communications. Additionally, advocacy for Federal and Tribal policies aims to secure sustainable funding, spectrum access, and regulatory support—essential steps in fortifying Indigenous media as a cornerstone of democracy, culture preservation, and public safety.

Janell Rasmussen, AMBER Alert Administrator and Summit Keynote Speaker, stated the critical role of collaboration in protecting Indigenous communities. “When Tribal communities, broadcasters, and law enforcement come together, we create a powerful network of protection for our children,” Rasmussen said. “Collaboration isn’t just a strategy—it’s a lifeline. The 2025 Native Broadcast Summit reaffirmed that every voice matters, every partnership strengthens our response, and every second saved can mean a life saved. Together, we’re building trust, enhancing Tribal alert systems, and ensuring that culturally informed communication is at the heart of our efforts to bring missing children home.”

A key highlight of the event was a panel discussion on the Missing and Endangered Persons (MEP) Alert Code—a groundbreaking initiative developed in partnerships with NPM, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A panel consisting of representatives from NPM and the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NJTC) and AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country, unveiled the recommended MEP Alert Code criteria. These recommended criteria will serve as guidance for Alerting Authorities to issue the new MEP Alert Code. This alert code will help alleviate the crisis of Missing and Endangered Individuals in all communities by utilizing broadcast networks to deliver rapid and culturally informed responses. “This system [MEP Alert Code] is our armor,” shared one attendee, emphasizing its potential to protect vulnerable individuals and strengthen entire communities.

In an era of evolving technologies and resources, Tribal broadcasters remain the most reliable system in their communities—delivering news, preserving languages, and delivering life—saving information. The Summit is more than a convening; it is a strategic imperative to fortifying the foundation of Indigenous communities by ensuring their media outlets have the resources, training, and alliances needed to thrive.

NPM Vice-Chair, Brian Brashier, stated: “The 2025 Native Broadcast Summit was a great investment of my time. I learned how our communities can work together to prevent abductions of both children and adults. The presentations on how to best utilize the upcoming Missing and Endangered Persons Alert Code were very informative and could save lives. Of course, the networking with fellow Indigenous broadcasters provided valuable insights on how other Tribe’s face the challenges and opportunities of their communities.”

Learn more at www.nativepublicmedia.org