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FCC to fine Fox for use of EAS tone

C

Ccook55

It was used on several platforms to promote an NFL broadcast, and it's not the first instance. Details here.
 
From the article posted by the OP:

Three seconds of audio could end up costing Fox $500,000​

Despite being a well-known illegal sound that many film and television productions have been fined over, US media titan Fox stands accused of playing the Emergency Alert System attention tone to promote an NFL show on dozens of TV channels.

The Federal Communications Commission, which polices use of the sound to protect its integrity, now wants to fine the organization $504,000 – just as it did for Hollywood action film Olympus Has Fallen ($1.9 million, 2014) right down to Jimmy Kimmel Live ($395,000, 2019).

You see, even if it's used for comedy, the FCC will fail to see the funny side.
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I remember watching a show about broadcasting and they talked about the EAS. When they did a demonstration, they had someone some tones on a keyboard with the announcer saying "Due to FCC rules, we can't play the actual tones, only a simulation."
 
Negin said:
I remember watching a show about broadcasting and they talked about the EAS. When they did a demonstration, they had someone some tones on a keyboard with the announcer saying "Due to FCC rules, we can't play the actual tones, only a simulation."
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I also wish they'd get rid of things like sirens and even cell phone ringing or text alerts in commercials. More than once, siren sounds have caused me to look around to see if I needed to pull over to let an emergency vehicle pass. I've also checked my phone in the past as I wasn't sure if the alerts or ringing were coming from my phone or the radio.
 
Affiliates are basically proxies for the networks to air their shows in their markets. I doubt the affiliates could be liable as they probably weren't aware of what Fox was pulling.
 
Affiliates are just as responsible for what goes over the air as their provider. I am not saying a fine will stick and likely, if affiliates were fined, the fine would be dropped. The fact is the folks at Fox know better. I tell folks it is best to steer clear of that line in the sand the FCC drew because the closer you get to it the easier it is to unintentionally cross it.

My thought: Fox gets a huge fine and affiliates don't.
 
b-turner said:
Affiliates are just as responsible for what goes over the air as their provider. I am not saying a fine will stick and likely, if affiliates were fined, the fine would be dropped. The fact is the folks at Fox know better. I tell folks it is best to steer clear of that line in the sand the FCC drew because the closer you get to it the easier it is to unintentionally cross it.

My thought: Fox gets a huge fine and affiliates don't.
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I've even seen that on a local level with a local commercial including the EAS tones. "Emergency super sale!" or something like that. I guess I don't expect the agency or production company to realize the problem, maybe even the TV station production departments. Someone should. have known though before it aired.
 
How would this apply if someone, especially an amateur, posts a real weather bulletin from the past on You Tube with the "forbiden" signal intact, especially if they didn't know they could be fined? I could definitely see this happening in someone posting a video on a weather warning in their area after it happened to show the events at that time.
 
anotherguyTN said:
How would this apply if someone, especially an amateur, posts a real weather bulletin from the past on You Tube with the "forbiden" signal intact, especially if they didn't know they could be fined? I could definitely see this happening in someone posting a video on a weather warning in their area after it happened to show the events at that time.
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The FCC doesn't regulate content on YouTube.
 
Mikey Radio said:
I also wish they'd get rid of things like sirens and even cell phone ringing or text alerts in commercials.
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My girlfriend and I sometime watch episodes of TV drama programs currently in first run episodes (one of our favorites is the revival of "Law And Order"; she's also a fan of the new Fox series "Accused", and in addition, loves British mystery shows), and we've sometimes noted a cellphone ringing in a scene that has sounded so realistic that it's caused either her or I to check our cellphones to see if someone was trying to call us! 😉
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
My girlfriend and I sometime watch episodes of TV drama programs currently in first run episodes (one of our favorites is the revival of "Law And Order"; she's also a fan of the new Fox series "Accused", and in addition, loves British mystery shows), and we've sometimes noted a cellphone ringing in a scene that has sounded so realistic that it's caused either her or I to check our cellphones to see if someone was trying to call us! 😉
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That happens with my wife at times!!! :D
 
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