Re: More EAS talk

[brouder@juno.com]

I hesitate to stick my neck out too far because I was not directly
involved in setting up Maine's State EAS Plan, but it is my understanding
that MPR feeds all its transmitters from one EAS box.  The Maine Public
Radio Network was chosen because it was the only viable way of getting a
signal to all parts of the state (no single commercial station has that
kind of reach and Maine is a big place!).

As the primary link in the State EAS Plan MPR must, by necessity, pass
all info to all other stations which decide locally what to air (through
the use of event and geographic codes decided by each local station
management).  The burden of being the key link in the plan means MPR
listeners will sometimes hear EAS info which is not pertinent to them
locally.

Remember, MPR gets its EAS info from either NWS or the State of Maine. 
All MPR does is relay the info to everyone else.  Stations close enough
to a NWS transmitter can get it directly, but because of the low-power
and small number of NWS facilities, that rules out most stations.

In New Hampshire, our key link is actually a state police microwave
frequency rather than an over-the-air station.  Perhaps Maine didn't have
such an option when its Plan was established.  We are fortunate in that
much non-pertinent geographical info never makes it on the air of New
Hampshire AM/FM/TV stations.

Dan Billings asked why the Portland-area TV stations didn't rebroadcast
what MPR fed them.  Thanks to the FCC, every station has almost total
latitude as to which of three dozen event codes they choose to air or
not.  Stations are only obligated to clear half a dozen EAS codes,
including weekly and monthly tests and national-level activations.

And as Larry Weil already pointed out, the EAS flood warning for the Saco
River included Freyburg, Maine and surrounding towns.

Ed Brouder
Chairman, New Hampshire 
State Emergency Communications Committee

>Tonight while watching Maine Public TV, they ran an EAS activation
concerning a flood warning on the >Androscoggin.  No complaints here
since it was a warning in their primary coverage area.  A good use of the
>system.  I flipped around to the other local TV channels for the next
few minutes and none of 
>them ran the information.  What's the deal?


________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.