[EAS] NWS Alerts and messaging

[Barry Mishkind]

>Funny you should ask.  When I've suggested reducing the types of alerts
>my cluster broadcasts I've more often gotten the response from my PD's why reduce them?
>We should continue with them as part of our commitment to public service.
        
        An excellent attitude. But was that after four in one
        hour with 2 minute audio cuts reciting county names?

>Nope, lets keep on monitoring and relaying EAS messages
>for out of state locations as a continued service to our listeners in those areas.

        Yes, monitoring. Too many .. far too many stations simply
        run on automatic. Then ,there is no filter nor repetition
        unless NWS does it.

>That said, it's mostly the WX alerts I most heavily filter out leaving
>only the most critical for immediate broadcast. Most others will be delayed
>and eventually vanish.  I leave it to the live show hosts to determine
>if and when to release an alert, or better yet get more background on it and
>discuss it on air.

        Again, this is the way it should be. But
        your stations are in a minority. 

>wide areas.  That creates a lot of repetition, covering each area as each alert
>comes on line.  So we frown upon NWS sending closely spaced repeat alerts out
>because when that happens it might create three or more alerts within ten or
>fifteen minutes of air-time.

        One of the things we discussed today is
        lengthening the time frame to longer
        periods.

>How many alerts per hour?  No more than four for worst case scenarios, otherwise no
>more than twice and hour.

        true.

>Messages should be short and to the point, maybe providing where to go for more detailed
>information such as on-line.  One minute should be the limit unless more details are urgently
>required.

        I know I am two decades late and
        the industry would come and 
        yell at me, but I have more than once
        written that county names should
        generate the EAS alerts, but how about
        content like "A major storm is on the 
        West side of Montpelier and headed West"  ... 

        The listener ... and any tourist driving
        through need not know the county name,
        but likely knows Montpelier.

>I think we already have enough categories with sufficient degrees of urgency built into the WRSAME codes.  Additional information to be used at the discretion of the broadcaster should be sent with channels other than EAS to air, for example email or SMS messaging to broadcasters.

        The sort of tone I got was that the NWS may
        not have time/manpower to do that at this
        time. But that is a good idea...