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Re Emergency Broadcast Test, Here in NC, they ran a test last night on cable and airwaves during primetime. I've never seen it happen during prime time before...every station on the cable.

Makes me contemplate that there is so much we don't yet know about regarding what is going to happen in this country over the next few months.

Re Emergency Broadcast Test, Here in NC, they ran a test last night on cable and airwaves during primetime. I've never seen it happen during prime time before...every station on the cable.

Makes me contemplate that there is so much we don't yet know about regarding what is going to happen in this country over the next few months.

Veddy Interesting. Shall we "ping" some Maryland FReepers and see if they have any input on this?

Re Emergency Broadcast Test, Here in NC, they ran a test last night on cable and airwaves during primetime. I've never seen it happen during prime time before...every station on the cable.

Makes me contemplate that there is so much we don't yet know about regarding what is going to happen in this country over the next few months.

Last Friday, I was listening to streaming audio of DC's WTOP radio. The anchor was interrupted mid stroke during his breaking play-by-play of the shooting aftermath that morning. It was an EBS activation for a flood warning! NWS retracted the flood warning as an error minutes later - and issued the correct flood watch - via the anchors mouth.

Around here in Pittsburgh, EBS doesn't get activated for flood warnings - I thought that took a hurricane or something. Needless to say, I was a bit startled when the anchor was cut off during breaking news with the classic "impending doom" EBS tones.

Also, I too have noticed a large increase in testing on radio and TV - and what is strange and different is they are not waiting for commercial break to test, they're just cutting right in.

Re Emergency Broadcast Test, Here in NC, they ran a test last night on cable and airwaves during primetime. I've never seen it happen during prime time before...every station on the cable. Makes me contemplate that there is so much we don't yet know about regarding what is going to happen in this country over the next few months.

Since 1998, cable companies have been required to be part of the EAS just like radio and TV stations. And when they run their tests, they are required to air them simultaneously on ALL channels. (Otherwise, there wouldn't be much point, if you think about it. The idea is to insure that if you're stuck in your Lay-Z-Boy watching HBO instead of a local station, you'll still get to find out when the tornado's about 1000 feet from your front door.)

I live in VA and they have been cutting in with that emergency "test" that they said they're required to do once a month, every couple of days now. Hmmm...

No, they have to run the test once a week, and a slightly more complicated test once a month. (The monthly tests are the ones where you hear the robotic voice telling you "This. Is. Only. A. Test." The weekly ones are where you just get the blue screen and the deeply disturbing 110db beeps.) And the tests have to be on different days and at different times each week. And the cable system has to run their tests, while the TV stations have to run separate ones ... and it all adds up.