[EAS] Wish List

[Barry Mishkind]

At 12:42 PM 2/4/2011, Tom Taggart wrote:
>This is small market.  As in "no money here."  

        And my heart goes out to operators
        who are struggling to serve local
        communities in these times - especially
        when "Media" is changing so fast.

>So I ask again--who is going to do all this? Yes, a box
>could be designed to spit out call letters (one box
>interrupts both upriver stations, the other controls the
>live station at that studio). 

        No real design necessary. I think
        most EAS rx and automation systems 
        can easily be adapted to tag an alert.
        In fact, I have heard of some stations 
        that even "sell" emergencies ... the 
        spots run after the alerts.

        It may not be true for you, but it is
        true that MANY stations, especially
        those that are rimshots, try to hide
        their location, burying the ID in 
        a slew of spots.... often at :47  (There
        was a station in the Phoenix area
        doing it last I checked, for example)

>But describe the specific
>location of the emergency, fill in travelers, etc.??  Get
>real. 

        This, to me, means closer work with NWS
        and/or the emergency crew on one end,
        and reminding the audience that the
        transmission is coming from "Big City"
        on the other.

        There is a lot of middle ground between
        someone live 24/7 and leaving the alert
        as "Millian County" ... which means little
        to so many.

        Cut-ins are one way. And may not always
        be useful or needed. But the ability to do
        so *might* help if it were used by more
        stations.  The last time I drove down
        Interstate 80 in Ohio, I heard two EAS
        alerts, but had no clue if I was driving 
        away from - or right into - the event.

        It just seems that CAP or not, it is not
        impossible to transmit something of
        value to listeners when an event happens.

        Perhaps you are telling me there are 
        so many emergencies in your area that
        you couldn't cover them all.  But in most
        cases, the emergency is rare, and the
        station itself would *want* to know if for no
        other reason than to be ready to fix 
        storm damage or get the generator going.

        I'm not suggesting to force huge burdens 
        on any station.  But the "minimum" as 
        now practiced is indeed a minimum....