It has been a hidden fact that these days, the radio isn’t
as safe as it used to be when they were the prime source of news and
entertainment. You might be wondering what I’m talking about. Well, recently
there have been some cases brought up in the FCC regarding radio alert systems.
In one particular case, Action Radio, a radio licensee situated in the Portland area, was being
investigated for their violation of the Emergency Alert System requirements.

The EAS

The Emergency Alert System, or EAS, is basically a national
system enforced by the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that all
broadcasting systems are capable of being activated during times of emergency
public safety threats. As the updated form of the Emergency Broadcast System
and CONELRAD System, the EAS is required for all AM/FM radio, cable, wireless
cable, digital, and satellite television, as well as all other broadcasting
systems. Because it works on a local
level, there is a weekly required test to ensure that the system is active. You have
probably heard or seen this test before; it goes along the lines of:

“This message is a test from the Emergency Alert System” Beeeeep

Something like that.

The CONELRAD system was established in 1951 by President
Truman as a new technology that could reach people quickly on a local and national
level if there were to be some type of public threat. A message would be sent
to the local systems, and from there, the local radio or television systems
could send the message via respective broadcasting medium.

Why is it so
important?

There was a case in 2002, where a small North Dakota town called
Minot encountered
a disaster caused by NO EAS system. There was a derailed train carrying
hazardous chemicals, which caused toxic gas to permeate throughout the town.
After smelling the strange odor, residents began to call 911 and the local
radio station, to ask about this odor, or get some advice to stay safe. The gas
caused headaches and lung-aches when exposed to it. People were virtually calling
in every second, but it was near-impossible for the 911 operators to give the
same message to everyone while asking about their situations. Citizens called
into the local radio stations because there was no message as to instruct the
people what to do. Unfortunately, most of the local radio stations were
controlled by Clear Channel Communications, and Clear Channel did not have any
actual DJs in the studio. A generic play list was merely being
transmitted from San Antonio.
When people were finally able to get to a station, they tried to use the EAS,
but the system failed.

Back to the current case, two Portland-based radio stations
were fined for not performing the weekly required test since July of 2006.
They claimed they weren’t able to conduct these test because the equipment was non-operational. Action Radio was fined
$8000, but after claiming that they couldn’t pay such a fine, they were let off
the hook by the FCC.

Although it does seem a bit outlandish, by not complying
with the EAS, Action Radio is putting a lot of people at risk. If there was an
emergency, what would they do? They would probably have the same, or worse,
fate that the people of Minot
faced. For the FCC to drop the fine shows the lack of care the commission has
for such situations. I don’t believe that such a great fine is necessary, but
to completely drop the case allows broadcasters to believe that the EAS is
something that doesn’t need to be taken seriously.

Take a look at the case:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-742A1.pdf

I got some information about the Minot case from Fighting For Air by Eric Klinenberg