Re: My Research on Minot, ND

["Sid Schweiger" <sid@wrko.com>]

>>isn't this a GLARING problem in that area's EAS chain?  What if a nuke was launched at the US and an EAN went out?  What would these stations do?<<

The EAS rules state very explicitly that receipt of an EAN must interrupt ALL broadcast stations, and that all presidential addresses made under an EAN must be carried live.  Therefore, stations that use unattended operation must have the EAS box in the program lines so that it will automatically interrupt regular programming when an EAN is received.

>>Is this just a case of poor planning on the program director's part in that they've only set their EAS boxes to not auto-forward anything except things like EAN's that cannot be set to not auto-forward?<<

It is entirely up to the individual stations as to how much participation they want in the local EAS setup.  All the FCC requires are:

1) Automatic and immediate interruption upon receipt of an EAN,
2) One weekly test transmitted,
3) Two weekly tests received,
4) One monthly test relayed, and
5) All EAS activity logged.

Anything else is purely voluntary.  That's what the current rules say, and that's how CC would presumably avoid any consequences other than the public's outrage that no one was "home" to initiate an alert.




Sid Schweiger
MIS Manager, Entercom Boston LLC
WAAF - WEEI - WQSX - WRKO - WVEI
Phone: 617-779-5369
Fax: 617-779-5379
E-Mail: sid@wrko.com