EAS activation

[markvidpa]

Let me ask a hypothetical about yesterday...
This was obviously a situation where the police wanted everyone in Watertown and Boston to stay inside. MBTA was also shut down, taxis stopped, etc.

Why not activate EAS to let people know to stay inside and to broadcast a description an ID of the subject?
Yes, I realize the media was doing that, but, to me, if ever there was a situation for authorities to get their message out from one source, that was it.

By no means am I arguing the point that the media didn't do their jobs, they absolutely did, and did it well, but I'm just more pointing out why have EAS if it's not being used for which it was intended?

 

[TheBigA]

Why not activate EAS to let people know to stay inside and to broadcast a description an ID of the subject?

They went way beyond EAS. They did something they couldn't do in a typical emergency, which is hold a press conference. When you have a disaster in progress, there's no time for press conferences. But on Thursday, they had reached a point where they had all the information, and they needed to get it out. So they held a press conference to alert traditional media, but also engage the public directly. That may be the lesson learned here. The fact that the Boston Police tweeted that they'd captured the suspect, using Twitter first, then holding a press conference, may be how this will be done in the future.

The thing about EAS is it doesn't actually turn radios on. So if you have a radio in the house that's off, you won't hear the alert. The minute they held the press conference on Thursday, the traditional media did exactly what it would have done with EAS, but in a less centralized way. With social media, it's possible that EAS is obsolete, especially when it's more of a police emergency than a disaster.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Wasn't a system developed in the early 1970's (but never implemented) call "Perky" that would have used signals from longwave radio station WGU-20 (around 190 Kilohertz) to turn on TV's and radios to warn people of Emergency Broadcasting System activations??

 

[markvidpa]

Why not activate EAS to let people know to stay inside and to broadcast a description an ID of the subject?

They went way beyond EAS. They did something they couldn't do in a typical emergency, which is hold a press conference. When you have a disaster in progress, there's no time for press conferences. But on Thursday, they had reached a point where they had all the information, and they needed to get it out. So they held a press conference to alert traditional media, but also engage the public directly. That may be the lesson learned here. The fact that the Boston Police tweeted that they'd captured the suspect, using Twitter first, then holding a press conference, may be how this will be done in the future.

The thing about EAS is it doesn't actually turn radios on. So if you have a radio in the house that's off, you won't hear the alert. The minute they held the press conference on Thursday, the traditional media did exactly what it would have done with EAS, but in a less centralized way. With social media, it's possible that EAS is obsolete, especially when it's more of a police emergency than a disaster.

Fair enough, I do see your point.
One point I would make about the turning of radios on is this (and I'm sure all of you reading this know this anyway, but I'm just saying it to make my point). Yesterday would almost have been like an Amber Alert where you needed to get a license number and description of the suspect out quickly. Where I live, this trips weather radios and sends texts and emails, which would potentially reach more of the office workers who don't have access to TV or radio where they work.
Yes, probably a lot were streaming coverage if they didn't have a radio or TV in front of them, which does go back to your point that EAS might be rendered obsolete by social media and online streaming.

 

[TheBigA]

Where I live, this trips weather radios and sends texts and emails, which would potentially reach more of the office workers who don't have access to TV or radio where they work.

The catch being that you have to subscribe to receive the texts or emails.

 

[markvidpa]

Where I live, this trips weather radios and sends texts and emails, which would potentially reach more of the office workers who don't have access to TV or radio where they work.

The catch being that you have to subscribe to receive the texts or emails.

True, but given it's free, there is no reason for you not to.
Personally, I think that's something that should come automatically with your cell service.

 

[TheBigA]

True, but given it's free, there is no reason for you not to.
Personally, I think that's something that should come automatically with your cell service.

That becomes a privacy issue. Cell companies would rather not get involved unless they have to.

 

[markvidpa]

True, but given it's free, there is no reason for you not to.
Personally, I think that's something that should come automatically with your cell service.

That becomes a privacy issue. Cell companies would rather not get involved unless they have to.

It's a no-brainer to me. If your mailing address is in X County, and there is a storm warning or etc. for there, you should get an alert. If you're not in X County at the time, so be it.
I believe the White House is working in co-op with Homeland Security to develop a system where every last one of us gets an alert in the even of a national emergency like 9/11.
I don't see that as a privacy issue. I see that as using the existing technology to provide us information in a quick and efficient way.


I do appreciate your reasoned discussion.

 

[TheBigA]

Then again, all that bypasses traditional broadcasting, rendering EAS obsolete. Another reason why broadcasters need to look beyond the things they once did when they had an information monopoly. People don't carry portable transistor radios any more. They carry cell phones.

 

[reelyreal]

Wasn't a system developed in the early 1970's (but never implemented) call "Perky" that would have used signals from longwave radio station WGU-20 (around 190 Kilohertz) to turn on TV's and radios to warn people of Emergency Broadcasting System activations??

"Perki" was the dog mascot. That was pretty much the idea. WGU-20 was the prototype, and there were to be several stations around the U.S., including proposed stations in Maynard, MA and Gray, ME.

Here's some audio:

https://soundcloud.com/shortwavemusic/wgu-20-1973-final-mp3

 

[ercjncpr]

Wasn't a system developed in the early 1970's (but never implemented) call "Perky" that would have used signals from longwave radio station WGU-20 (around 190 Kilohertz) to turn on TV's and radios to warn people of Emergency Broadcasting System activations??

"Perki" was the dog mascot. That was pretty much the idea. WGU-20 was the prototype, and there were to be several stations around the U.S., including proposed stations in Maynard, MA and Gray, ME.

Here's some audio:

https://soundcloud.com/shortwavemusic/wgu-20-1973-final-mp3

Isn'tt the announcer on WGU the same one who does or did the time announcements for the US Naval Observatory?

 

[aaronread]

It's been a while since I've purchased a weather radio, but back in the 1980's and 1990's most of the weather radios sold were designed to automatically turn themselves on if they heard the right kind of EAS weather alert. You had the option of not using them in that manner, of course, but that's how they were designed.

The functionality for automatic turn-on/tuning-to-alert is built into the standard for EAS but very, very few radios (much less TV's) are designed to take advantage of it. I guess it would add a few pennies to the cost per unit for manufacturing and, well, we can't have that, now can we? (/sarcasm)

 

[aaronread]

EAS is only useful in situations where two conditions are met:

• Things are moving VERY fast, and word must be gotten out within the next 15 to 20 minutes. 60 at most.
• The information to be disseminated is of a type that some people might not consider "urgent".

The first is almost never a problem these days; the speed at which information moves on the internet is much faster than EAS. The problem is the second. With something like the Boston Lockdown, absolutely EVERYONE was on the same page that there was NEWS happening and "we better broadcast it". This is not always the case with things like weather alerts, silver alerts, amber alerts, etc.

These days EAS can be very useful, but only in a narrow window of "things that are mostly "pretty important"...not "damned important," but just "pretty important" and "there's a good chance that a lot of the listeners won't really care" so you need to give broadcasters extra reason to talk about it.

 

[TSBench]

Administrators at both the FCC and EAS have commented that the near-instantaneous news coverage available today has obviated the need for EAS except in very narrow instances (i.e.: the presidential need to address the entire nation in ten minutes time.)

About a decade ago, the EAS system was accidentally activated in Connecticut, advising residents to EVACUATE THE ENTIRE STATE. The Connecticut State Police reported that they received no calls concerning the alert.

Regards,
TSB

 

[w9wi]

One might wonder whether activating EAS would have actually made it *more difficult* to get information to the public?

I don't know how things are wired in the Boston area but hereabouts (and in many other places), when an EAS is issued it automatically overrides ALL channels on cable TV. Including the local news operations like WBZ-TV. You lose a minute or two's worth of the detailed information & images available on TV in favor of a grey screen with someone reading a single paragraph of text.

It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to activate EAS **on the 162MHz weather radio only**. To get the attention of those who *don't* already have their radio/TV on. Although I have my suspicions the system is wired in such a way that isn't possible.

_________________________________________________

It's a no-brainer to me. If your mailing address is in X County, and there is a storm warning or etc. for there, you should get an alert. If you're not in X County at the time, so be it.
I believe the White House is working in co-op with Homeland Security to develop a system where every last one of us gets an alert in the even of a national emergency like 9/11.
I don't see that as a privacy issue. I see that as using the existing technology to provide us information in a quick and efficient way.

Please, no..

I don't see a privacy issue but I do see an issue with "crying wolf". At least around here, Amber Alerts are issued statewide and regardless of the hour. Which means if you can't turn them off, you will be awakened at 3am to be informed of an emergency that you likely can do absolutely nothing about. Is the perp really going to drive through a rural county 400 miles from the crime? Is a sleep-deprived commuter likely to get in a wreck? IMHO #2 is more likely...

I've had to throw out an otherwise good weather radio because it predated the CAE code & I couldn't mute it.

Mobile alerting is a good thing but it needs to be voluntary & configurable.

 

[CTListener]

Wasn't a system developed in the early 1970's (but never implemented) call "Perky" that would have used signals from longwave radio station WGU-20 (around 190 Kilohertz) to turn on TV's and radios to warn people of Emergency Broadcasting System activations??

"Perki" was the dog mascot. That was pretty much the idea. WGU-20 was the prototype, and there were to be several stations around the U.S., including proposed stations in Maynard, MA and Gray, ME.

Here's some audio:

https://soundcloud.com/shortwavemusic/wgu-20-1973-final-mp3

I've got the page open but I don't see any way to get the sound to play. Do you have to register with the site or login via Facebook to hear the mp3?

UPDATE: Never mind. Found it.

 

[BarryATL]

The issue with EAS is there are too many tests. I see a cable test more than once a week, plus each broadcast station. I just tend to ignore them. Now, on the other hand, I do not seem to hear the EAS test often on broadcast radio. I guess, cable is the big offender. There are just too many of those each week... and in PRIME TIME.

 

[nd2023]

One might wonder whether activating EAS would have actually made it *more difficult* to get information to the public?

I don't know how things are wired in the Boston area but hereabouts (and in many other places), when an EAS is issued it automatically overrides ALL channels on cable TV. Including the local news operations like WBZ-TV. You lose a minute or two's worth of the detailed information & images available on TV in favor of a grey screen with someone reading a single paragraph of text.

It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to activate EAS **on the 162MHz weather radio only**. To get the attention of those who *don't* already have their radio/TV on. Although I have my suspicions the system is wired in such a way that isn't possible.

_________________________________________________

It's a no-brainer to me. If your mailing address is in X County, and there is a storm warning or etc. for there, you should get an alert. If you're not in X County at the time, so be it.
I believe the White House is working in co-op with Homeland Security to develop a system where every last one of us gets an alert in the even of a national emergency like 9/11.
I don't see that as a privacy issue. I see that as using the existing technology to provide us information in a quick and efficient way.

Please, no..

I don't see a privacy issue but I do see an issue with "crying wolf". At least around here, Amber Alerts are issued statewide and regardless of the hour. Which means if you can't turn them off, you will be awakened at 3am to be informed of an emergency that you likely can do absolutely nothing about. Is the perp really going to drive through a rural county 400 miles from the crime? Is a sleep-deprived commuter likely to get in a wreck? IMHO #2 is more likely...

I've had to throw out an otherwise good weather radio because it predated the CAE code & I couldn't mute it.

Mobile alerting is a good thing but it needs to be voluntary & configurable.

They could have the National Weather Service issue the alert, even though it's not weather related. Issue it as a tornado warning so that the weather radios will turn on. Besides, the residents of Watertown should have treated it like a tornado, and hid in their basements, because there was an active shootout, and bullets can easily pierce walls.

 

[w9wi]

For last week's events, the proper code already exists. (CEM, Civil Emergency) It would have activated any weather radio whose owner hadn't specifically silenced the CEM code.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

EAS is only useful in situations where two conditions are met:

• Things are moving VERY fast, and word must be gotten out within the next 15 to 20 minutes. 60 at most.
• The information to be disseminated is of a type that some people might not consider "urgent".

You forgot #3: A situation where there is a known, imminent danger to life or property.

This is exactly the same discussion that was gone over, ad nauseam, on message boards after 9/11. There were good, valid reasons NOT to activate EAS on 9/11, just as there were last Monday.