[BC] Yes, EAS works!

[Cowboy]

On Thursday 14 June 2012 10:57:47 pm Broadcast List USER wrote:
> First of all, the public needs to be educated as to what they should  
> expect.

 Test announcements don't do that.
 Simulated disaster drills do, but how many of the general
 public ever participate ?

> Second, and this only applies to live stations, it is extremely  
> important that the board operators/DJs/Announcers get to run the  
> equipment.  It is like any other skill, flying a plane, shooting a  
> gun, if you don't practice it, you cannot reliably perform when the  
> time comes.

 In the original discussions, this was to be possible in a closed loop,
 or off-line way such that receivers would not be activated, except
 for a confidence monitor.

 Somehow, lost in the distractions.
 
> An EBS (in the day) or EAS test failure is actually a successful  
> result.  It indicates where training is needed.

 We agree !
 Whatever happened to that station that was fined for
 just exactly such a successful test ?

> EAS as a system is a total failure.  Why?  Because there are no EAS  
> receivers for the public!  None! 

 Agreed !!

> One must look at RDS.  RDS works.  We, in the USA don't use it at all  
> (well, for emergency alerts).

 Primarily because that would have run counter to the government
 mandated Sage monopoly, so was quickly killed off as a possibility,
 and somehow never got returned to, once the Sage monopoly
 wasn't going to happen.

 At the time, I was opposed to any scheme that specifically and
 deliberately excluded AM, TV, and cable.
 In retrospect, there was likely a viable solution drowned out in
 all the politics.

 Although it's probably time to revisit the whole thing, the political
 appointees in power now ( and for the last several administrations,
 and probably far into the forseeable future ) rather severely lack the
 common sense that would be required to even have the discussion, IMHO.

-- 
Cowboy