[EAS] FCC BLU Alert Proposal

[Richard Rudman]

The post Phil made pretty much sums up my personal feelings on the Blue Alert code being extended to EAS.

The quote from Phil Johnson from Washington law enforcement is telling. If LE does not see the value, why should the FCC add Blue Alerts?

I could not for this and other reasons I will outline recommend to any local or state EAS committee that they voluntary relay Blue Alerts.

I hope that our EAS colleagues at FCC take a moment to consider the following: Overuse of EAS will at best cause audiences to "tune out" and at worst drive them away forever. 

Our Federal partners have to weigh the value of adding EAS events like Blue Alerts that have the potential to make potential audiences for EAS Participants smaller for the core national mandatory event (EAN) as well as all EAS events that are voluntarily relayed.  

Interrupting programming for a growing number of events (and "message flooding") has started us on the road where more and more EAS Participants are opting out of voluntary relay of EAS events.

I personally have broadcast clients who have opted out from the relay of voluntary EAS events.  If I am asked right now if they should reconsider, I would have to tell them that as this point IMO nothing has changed, and the situation could get worse.

Richard Rudman

Phil Johnson <p_johnson58 at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> "As we have in the past, we oppose this.  I wish people would stop helping us."