Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission...."
Next time your TV gets hijacked, try turning the system (TV and cable box) off and then back on again.
Posted on 05/18/2012 3:45:12 AM PDT by REPANDPROUDOFIT
Our local Comcast now interrupts programming for a severe weather alert. They not only interrupt what you are watching, they change the channel AND disable your remote control so that you can't switch to anything else.
This has happened three times this week. My husband and I were watching one show, when a beeping sound let us know that a weather alert had been issued. A "severe thunderstorm alert" began to scrawl at the top of the page. THEN, the tv channel changed to WGN, without either of us touching anything. All of a sudden, instead of watching Jeopardy, we were watching America's Funniest Home Videos (which isn't funny!) on WGN. The sound on WGN was totally muted, except for the emergency broadcast. It beeped and scrolled for a couple of minutes, then a lady came on and read the alert to us. You still could not hear the tv program. It stayed that way for about four minutes. We kept trying to change back to Jeopardy, but could not do anything with our remote except adjust the volume. By the way, the alert was for a severe thunderstorm located three counties away, 86 miles from us. There was absolutely no danger to our area!
There is another strange part of this. Those alerts used to say "The National Weather Service has issued a warning .......". Now it says, "An EAS Participant has spotted a severe thunderstorm ......". What the heck is that about? I certainly felt more "concerned" when an alert was issued by the NWS! This is all part of the Obama/FEMA - designed alert system that went into affect this year. I guess a severe thunderstorm three counties away is worthy of the emergency broadcast system. We live in Florida. Can you imagine how many times our tv channeling will be interrupted each day, each month?
I hate CommieCast! No other choice here; not even stone-age dial-up.
One very interesting thing to me is - the "station of choice" just happens to be WGN / Chicago. Instead of watching our channels of choice (along with their commercials) half the state of Florida was watching WGN (including their commercials)! We did not see a full series of commercials shown during the Jeopardy program, while we were able to see the commercials on WGN! Why are the networks putting up with this?
Here is a link to the Wikipedia page defining the EAS alert system. It says nothing about confiscating control of your television.
I can understand the need for a system that would allow a president to address the nation in a real emergency, say a nuclear attack or cyber attack. But, severe thunderstorms, no!
The more threads like these I see, the more glad I am that I stopped watching television.
BUT, disabling the remote control and removing my ability to make an adult decision about changing the channel is going too far!
Why should I lose tv coverage for four minutes because of a storm that in no way threatens my part of the state?
I have suddenlink.
They do the same thing, And it may not even be a weather alert.
Station just changes.
The OFF button is the key.
People still watch television ? WOW
Preparing for the real emergency.
I consider the internet a variant of television. Much more than traditional tv for sure but you are still sitting in front of a screen and viewing it.
Similar thing happened to us on Tuesday evening. Was watching the big bang theory on WRBW when a weather alert popped up scrolling across the screen THEN the woman’s voice read it to us while the program was muted. Weather alert was 100 miles away. Later that night was watching WTBS when another weather alert popped up scrolling across the screen but instead of the woman’s voice the channel stayed but a I
n progress basketball game interrupted programming for about five minutes before regular show reappeared. My thought was an inexperienced person hit wrong buttons for weather alert. Weird. Brighthouse is our provider.
The Joplin MO tornado last season brought about a lot of changes with when warnings are issued and how they are to be sent to the public.
The loss of life last tornado season was very 19th century...inexcusable.
People have been ignoring warnings because so many had been issued just based on a radar signature...kind of like the boy who cried “wolf”.
Cox Communications does that same thing. I am sure it is part of a Federal Mandate somewhere.
Also, this IS NOT the old-fashioned interruption of the program I am watching. Now, the channel changes automatically to WGN. You can only watch that channel till they decide the alert should end. Our remote control is totally disabled. That is what I object to!
How much are you paying for this unsatisfactory service?
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