[EAS] Does anyone expect the unexpected?

[Sean Donelan]

On Wed, 7 Sep 2016, Clay Freinwald wrote:
> Broadcasters are simply not in this line of work - and they are far better
> to not try and get involved.    Public warning should be left up to those
> that have been trained to deal with them.
>
> More reasons why the Washington State EAS Plan does not have any provisions
> for broadcasters to originate EAS messages.

I said absolutely nothing about broadcasters deciding when to originate
emergency messages.  The warnings are still originated by emergency 
managers, national weather service, etc. Its just how those emergency 
bulletins were distributed.

For 50+ years, broadcasters rip-and-read NWS bulletins from AP/UPI 
teletypes. The announcers didn't need to be meteorologists, and usually 
were not.  If the bell rang 5-times, an announcer walked over grabbed 
the print-out and read the bulletin issued by the national weather 
service.  The only thing the announcer need to know was their management 
directed them to read the NWS bulletin when the bell rang 5-times.

Pavlov's version of a emergency warning system.

EAS boxes just automates the process.

Now an announcer doesn't need to listen for 5-bells, walk to the 
teletype, or read the bulletin issued by NWS.  Instead an automated box 
receives CAP formatted NWS bulletin (or still a broadcast from Weather 
radio because NOAA isn't distributing via IPAWS yet), if the correct 
number of "bells" (now EAS event codes) is present, the automated box 
reads the bulletin on the air.

EAS isn't magic.

If you have a 24-hour newsroom, and want to have your staff read the 
bulletins on the air, they can.  They don't need to be meteorologists. 
NWS labels the bulletins very clearly - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED.

If you don't have a 24-hour newsroom, an automated system (either EAS or 
another commercial weather system) can read the bulletin on the air.

In any case, its ultimately a business decision by the owner whether 
they want any bulletins on the air (either automated or staff reading 
them).  Once they make that business decision, the rest is just 
technology.  In Washington, DC the local station made the decision to 
re-record every EAS alert using their on-air talent.