[EAS] Colorado makes the same WEA mistake as Utah - WEA can't target highwway crossings

[Barry Mishkind]

At 09:50 AM 7/20/2020, Dave Kline wrote:
>I certainly agree that someone needs to step in and put a halt to it.
>I'm just not convinced that FEMA should be the one doing it.
>
>It breaks down into a free-for-all either to appear relevant or to CYA as the reasons for issuing alerts. If those are the primary motivations behind issuing alerts, then the whole system has lost it's way. 

        At the risk of sounding a bit harsher than I wish,
        this is a long standing issue that, sadly, in many
        areas has let to the public no longer considering
        EAS for what it should be - and worse, not even
        knowing of many alerts because station program
        directors and managers have long since blocked
        anything but the most required alerts: RMT, RWT,
        EAN, TOR, etc. due to many years of the disconnect
        between broadcasters and EMs. 

        It is the long-term issue of EAS being mandatory for 
        broadcasters but cooperation voluntary for EMs.
        Along with the tendency in many stations to just
        toss EAS issues to the tech department - aside from
        demanding most alerts do not go on the air - there
        is no communication between EMs and station 
        management. While some agencies have listened
        to pleas to make announcements clearer, shorter,
        and with stations in mind, most, as noted, do little
        training, and even try to pass off major goofs - like
        the Hawaii missile alert - as "just a minor mistake."

        Some folks from NWS have heard some of the
        pleas from broadcasters for coordination. Other
        EMs would rather use reverse-911 than come
        to broadcasters - who might not even be answering
        the phone. 

        Without programs like some states (Washington,
        for example) that brings all stakeholders together,
        including station management, these mistakes
        (such as Colorado and Utah) will merely reduce
        the alerts broadcasters relay. 

        In the end, for many areas, it is the public that suffers.

        It should not be that way.