[EAS] Blue Alerts Are Back

[Sharon Tinsley]

In Alabama, we worked with the Governor's office to establish the Blue
Alert.  It DOES NOT go over EAS.  

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) has an email distribution list
that is used for Missing Child Media Alerts (not meeting AMBER criteria) and
for Missing Senior Alerts.  Blue Alerts would go out the same way.

The Alabama Broadcasters Association backs ALEA up by sending our own mass
email, tweeting and posting to our website and Facebook.

The truth is that the stations get this info from local sources as it
happens and report it immediately on their stations and social media
platforms - with or without EAS.

Sharon Tinsley
President
Alabama Broadcasters Association

-----Original Message-----
From: EAS [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On Behalf Of Ed Czarnecki

Regarding the 27 states that have Blue Alert plans in place, can anyone
confirm whether or not:

(a) EAS is considered part of that process?

(b) and if so, the LEW code is to be used?  Or other?

 

Again, Chairman Pai will be proposing the creation of a new event code.
However I'd like to gather some info on how many states are already using
the existing LEW code for this purpose, particularly since Blue Alert plans
date as far back as 2015.

 

States having blue alert plans include:

1.      AL

2.      AZ

3.      CA          

4.      CO

5.      CT

6.      DE

7.      FL (does mention using EAS)

8.      GA

9.      KS

10.   KY

11.   IL

12.   IN

13.   MA

14.   MI

15.   MN (I know discussion of this started up back this past January in the
SRB and MN-IPAWS)

16.   ME

17.   MS

18.   NC

19.   ND

20.   OH

21.   OK

22.   SC

23.   TN

24.   TX (does not mention using broadcast media or EAS)

25.   UT

26.   VA (does mention using broadcast radio, but not EAS specifically) 

27.   WA

 

BTW, I like that Washington state included the following provision in their
Blue Alert legislation (limitation of liability).  This was omitted in
Virginia, for example (but then again, Virginia did not specify any specific
dissemination in its legislation):

 

RCW 10.108.040 Liability immunity.

No cause of action shall be maintained for civil damages in any court of
this state against any radio or television broadcasting station or cable
television system, or the employees, officers, directors, managers, or
agents of the radio or television broadcasting station or cable television
system, based on the broadcast of information supplied by law enforcement
officials pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Nothing in this
section shall be construed to limit or restrict in any way any immunity or
privilege a radio or television broadcasting station or cable television
system may have under statute or common law for broadcasting or otherwise
disseminating information.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: EAS [mailto:eas-bounces at radiolists.net] On Behalf Of Adrienne Abbott

 

"Each state chair on this list works hard with his/her broadcasters to make
sure they can provide their audiences with good quality EAS messages, within
the limits of our infrastructure. Not every state or local government agency
has access to CAP. We also work with our state and local partners to make

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