[EAS] Tests, tones and technology...

[Mike McCarthy]

All due respect, it was a mess. There are so many problems plaguing the
system that one can throw a dart blind folded and hit something which
needs attention. And broadcasters aren't coming out of this bleach clean
either.  I'm embarrassed to have conveyed the message we did in the manner
it was done. "Broadcast Quality" in this context it was not by any sense
or stretch of the imagination.

We have 9 stations in two states and three operational areas.  Only one
operating area (Rockford, IL.) got the whole voice message out to stations
in that region of the state. And that's a question I need to ask their
technical guy. Who was their source?

Chicago's relayed message was truncated-"muted" about 5 seconds in and ran
silence (with low level cross talk of multiple messages) until the EOM was
sent.  I don't know where the failure occured, but the whole message got
out to some stations. Never the less, if the failure here has occured
within the broadcast network, that's a broadcast problem and a state plan
problem. Not FEMA's, at least directly.

I have recordings of 8 stations across those three areas. Though I haven't
listened to the logger of our Indiana station, that's a tomorrow function,
that station is WAY at the end of a ***long*** chain.  So long that we
have no real choice but to use the INBA's stream off of the state relay
station to get a clean feed for anything coming out of Indy.

If the OTA daisy chain concept doesn't get scrapped as a result of this
blunder of a test, I'm not sure we'll ever see a viable nationwide single
point delivery system to the media short of a public/private partnership
with NPR, the various networks across multiple satellites and distribution
nodes, and station owners standing up and commenting when the FCC puts out
their proposals via NPRM's.

MM

>>From the perspective of the broadcasters, this test was a success. FEMA
>> took
> over the broadcasters' airwaves to deliver a product to the public via the
> Emergency Alert System and the equipment that the FCC designed and
> mandated
> that we use. EAS worked as designed. The product that FEMA gave us was
> less
> than perfect and because the equipment worked the way the FCC designed it
> to
> work, there was nothing broadcasters could do to fix or improve that
> product. But we did the job of getting it--warts and all--out to the
> public.
>
> The fact that the problems we encountered were exactly those that many of
> have predicted only enhances the message that we have been trying to
> communicate to the FCC for all these years. Now the FCC--and we--have
> proof
> that the PEP network doesn't reach everywhere and that you can't rely on
> the
> NPR network to back up PEP, particularly when they are given a faulty
> product.
>
> The answer is not to throw out all things EAS, but to take what we have
> learned and use it to improve the system. We know so much more this
> afternoon than we knew this morning about EAS! We know now that EAS can be
> used to issue a national warning, we just have to help FEMA and the
> equipment manufacturers solve the problems with the audio at the source.
> We
> also have to make sure the public and our media know and understand what
> happened. We did our job and everyone out there should pat themselves on
> the
> back for a job well done!
> Adrienne
>
> "Radio burps, it cries, it needs to be fed all the time, it requires
> constant attention, but we love it." Jim Aaron WGLN
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: eas-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On
> Behalf Of Wayne R. Miller
>
> Today's test was not a glitch!  It was a disaster.  And no amount of
> "tweaking" is going to fix the current EAS system.  We seriously need to
> admit that "the emperor has no clothes" and toss out all of Part 11 and
> the
> entire EAS system.
>
> This was an embarrassment to the media and all of us who have tried to
> make
> this system work.  And, trust me, CAP will not make it better and may, in
> fact, make it worse.
>
> I'm not sure what the tabulated results will show....but I think my
> result(s) will be to seriously consider removing my Peoria stations from
> LP
> status and then actively searching for my replacement.
>
> I have absolutely ZERO confidence that government at any level can fix
> this
> horribly broken system.  They are much more concerned about their
> pensions,
> health care and promotions than public safety.  I may change my mind
> tomorrow, but I am inclined to care just as much!
>
> _______________________________________________
> This is the EAS Forum Discussion List
>
> Please invite your friends to join our Forum!
> http://lists.radiolists.net/mailman/listinfo/eas
>
> And, remember the main page: http://eas.radiolists.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> This is the EAS Forum Discussion List
>
> Please invite your friends to join our Forum!
> http://lists.radiolists.net/mailman/listinfo/eas
>
> And, remember the main page: http://eas.radiolists.net
>