[EAS] Should the RWT EAS Code be abolished?

[Gary Peterson]

"EAS might be a bit more effective if all tests
were run in the wee hours so that most of the
public would not be so accustomed to hearing them
that they mentally tune out at the onset of the
DFs.............
M"

I concur.  Even before the national test, I have
had many non-radio people ask me why they hear all
the constant burping and testing.  It can get
pretty intrusive.  When our RMT originates with
the state public radio network (odd-numbered
months), they yammer for what seems to be an
eternity.  Apparently, someone gets a real thrill
out of knowing that their voice is going out over
every radio station, TV station and cable system
in the state and, by golly, they are going to
treat us with their golden pipes for the maximum
time that the system will allow.  I recall riding
with my daughter, who was in her late 20s, at the
time.  She was listening to her favorite radio
station.  When DFs came on, she instantly turned
the radio off.  I asked why.  She said "I hate
those damn tests."  She didn't know whether it was
a RWT or a chemical spill.  I believe that people
become de-sensitized from too much audible
testing.

Unfortunately, our EAS operational area is huge.
It is probably 200 miles from one corner to the
other.  Because of that, stations and cable
systems that carry SVR (severe thunderstorm
warnings) become unlistenable from May through
August.  There can be a half-dozen warnings from
NWS in an hour.  Many of these are for storms that
are 100 miles away.  The announcements always warn
about being hit by lightning and the dangers of
standing out in a hail storm.  My belief is that
if you are not aware of the thunderstorm, you must
be living under a rock.  Aren't they sort of
self-announcing events?  How many people are
killed, annually, by severe thunderstorms?  Would
all these SVR DFs save any lives?

Gary