The Presidential Radio Network

What if we cry wolf and no one is listening? 

Everything, it seems, has become politicized in our society. And now my fear is that our Emergency Alert System will become politicized. This valuable system has for decades been an effective tool to alert consumers about impending tornadoes, flooding, hurricanes, and myriad other disasters. When consumers hear that annoying tone on the radio, they sit up and pay attention.

The president announced this week that he will do the first presidential EAS alert in history. He will break into your broadcast and offer a presidential message.

Why?

In the history of the EAS, no president has broken in to make an announcement. President George W. Bush did not feel it necessary to do a nationwide alert on EAS when we were under attack in 2001. 

Why does this president feel the need to force himself on all radio listeners and do the first presidential test of the alert system?

Politics, that's why. The president is in campaign mode and is interested in rebuilding his ratings in the polls, and I suspect he feels this is a good way to force his voice upon all Americans listening to the radio.

It'’s a giant mistake for ANY president to place his or her voice on the system as a test. There are very few instances when a message from the president himself is necessary. Yes, if there is a national emergency, a government official may need to speak to the masses. But why the president? And why do this now?

If you think I'm being political, I'm not. No president should be doing this.

The FCC is unanimously behind this, and it's something many state broadcasters' associations have been pushing for. So why am I so dead set against this concept? First, it's open to abuse. No politician can resist the opportunity to try to make him- or herself look good. Do you think any president will resist that impulse when they have the ears of everyone listening to the radio? What if a president in office decides to declare more emergencies -- that is, more excuses to take over radio?

And there's another danger: Presidents are polarizing figures. A lot of Americans may hear the president's voice and simply turn off the radio. It's like the child who cried wolf. If the president is giving a message -- and they don't like the president -- the next time they hear that EAS signal (another test?), they won't be listening. What if that’s the time there's a real emergency and people need to listen?

I strongly urge the White House not to do the presidential test. Don't desensitize listeners to EAS. There are other ways to make sure it's working.

 

Comments

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[Pam]

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[Taylor Hegan, R.Ph.]

President Barack "HUSSEIN" Obama II, is truly joining "The Muslin Brotherhood" dictator "HUSSEIN" example of miss using power and doing so in the FACE of the AMERICAN people---ONE MORE TIME!

President Barack "HUSSEIN" Obama II, has proven time and time again he has NO respect for: "WE THE PEOPLE" only his own HITLER-like control/dictatorship!

"WE THE PEOPLE," say NOT only NO ... but HELL NO! to President Barack "HUSSEIN" Obama II in miss using the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in effort to get re-elected, simple propaganda for his dictoral/socialist demands.

President Barack "HUSSEIN" Obama II, hopefully if he insist on doing so, "WE THE PEOPLE," CAN AND WILL LOUDLY.. VOTE HIM OUT OF OFFICE...2012!!!!!!!!!

Let our Voic Be Heard, Taylor Hegan, R.Ph.
Email: foreverrich@aol.com
Website: http://www.firstfitness.com/healthyday

[Eric Rhoads]

Important point to make is that THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL platform, nor should it be ever. Every politician cannot resist some moment to say something good that they have done. Im coming to you in this first broadcast of this system so that you could be safe for instance implying that I did it for you. (Political).

There are already ramblings about giving Governors access for statewide tests and Mayors for citywide tests. Before we know it we will have opposition responses on the air to tests.

This is too important to politicize and render it ineffective.

Note: I am NOT against the idea of testing the system to make sure it does not fail. I just dont think it should be a politician.

[Riat]

Let me repeat: The official Emergency Alert System is designed to enable the President of the United States to speak to the United States within 10 minutes. "I'm a republican/democrat and don't want to hear anything a democrat/republican president has to say" figures nowhere in the equation, nor should it.

[Riat]

Good point: The official Emergency Alert System is designed to enable the President of the United States to speak to the United States within 10 minutes. "I'm a republican/democrat and don't want to hear anything a democrat/republican president has to say figures nowhere in the equation, nor should it.

[prob]

I respectfully disagree. The point assumes that people are not already desensitized to EAS--I'm not sure that his assertion that "people sit up and pay attention" when they hear the attention signal is supported by actual data, other than people trying to turn the station/channel or volume down. Second, EAS has only been in existence since 1997. It was changed from EBS to EAS specifically to allow any sitting President (regardless of political party) to address the country within 10 minutes of a national emergency. Former FCC chairman Powell addressed the "no sitting President has used it despite _____ [fill in the blank with your national emergency of choice]" with a reasonable rationale: the EAS was scooped by the national media, and for those particular events, EAS/EBS was not the preferred modus. President Bush did pre-empt media coverage for a TELEVISED address, which was, ironically, critisized for taking place long after NYC was in chaos. Feasible usage of the EAS for a presidential message would also be something that no one else would see coming, such as a missile attack. The political allegation also ignores the fact that the administration is retiring the color-coded terror threat warning system.

[Daniel P Mitchell]

Eric thank God you have a big voice in the industry. Obama on the EBS is really funny. In my humble opinion, not a dignified place for a President to be working. But with this President, one must expect a different spin. He is unique. Possibly this is the begining of the obama talk show, and he is testing the audience responce? Reading this blog, it is evenly split. Jury out to date, but it is fun fun fun on the radio.

[PW]

Your comments are right on target. It’s the EMERGENCY Alert System. No matter who occupies the White House, the nature of politicians will turn it into a “bully pulpit” diluting it’s effectiveness.

[Tony Coloff]

100% right on Eric.

And now you know how political this President is and how fearful he is of being a one term President.

KIOW has carried the 9:05 am Presidential Report to the people every Saturday morning, no matter who the President was including this one, since sign-on 32 years ago. Radio has provided this direct access to the American people at no charge, since I don't know when or which President started it.

The use of the EAS test is a flagrant abuse of a public service medium to improve his own standing.

[Tad Ambilo]

Do you have a quota to meet- in terms of weekly blog posts? I cant imagine any other motivation for a post of this quality...

[Les]

I turn him off when I see him on television, and turn the radio down when I hear his voice.
Test the system. Someone else can do it, it doesn't need to be, nor should it be, the POTUS. Be assured that I would feel the same way even if it were a President that I voted for, or, at the very least, had some respect for.

[Tim Moore]

Eric, I respectfully disagree.

Assuming ahead of time that the EAS interruption is politically motivated reminds me of the Republican efforts to prevent President Obama from addressing our nation's students on the importance of staying in school-REALLY? The kids can't even vote. The President is a polarizing figure only because the opposition party continually demonizes the person and in the process demeans the office.

ANY attention to the woefully designed EAS system is welcome. If we know it's happening, we will promote it---perhaps positively affecting TUNE-IN rather than tuneout. We may take the 4th caller after Obama says the phrase that pays ("This is only a test!")
Bush should have addressed the nation after 9/11. The continual failures of EAS--usually no audio from the source--just the tones--needs to be addressed before a true emergency warrants the deployment of real warnings/info. We need to move to a satellite delivered system and ditch the daisy-chain, antiquated system we have now. With so much automation and no requirement that anything other than TESTS be autoforwarded, we could literally have a tsunami and no radio/TV station would be required to broadcast it---chances are there is no human being present anyway.

I read everything you write-am a fan--and believe that you are great for the industry--but on this one, I think you are off-base---mostly because your opinion seems based on an assumption that has no evidence of being fact. If he did it on the eve of the election, you might have ammo to defend your percieved motive. Now? Maybe, just maybe, the President is doing this for the country, not for his political ambitions.

[Drew Thomas]

Hey Eric, I disagree with your article's final point, in reference to desensitizing listeners to EAS. With all the required weekly & monthly EAS tests over the years, listeners have already been trained to ignore it much the same way we ignore car alarms.

[Ryan]

Thank you for bringing this to light. What a terrible idea. As you said, whether you support Obama or not, this will dilute a system designed NOT to be heard often.

What can we do to fight this?

[Larry Jennings]

All I can say about this full page interruption into my email box is...REALLY? Nothing else to think about or write about, huh Eric?

[Charlie Ferguson]

Just wondering - will EAS need to give equal time to John Boehner?

[Doug Apple]

Thanks for writing this!

[Rex Radio (not my real name)]

All Due respect Eric, if the POTUS wishes to make a quick two sentence message about testing the nations primary alerting system to shake out and/or shine light on the systemic bugs, I see no reason to call that political.

The primary reason for this test is to actually test the whole system end to end. As we found in Illinois in 2009, the system is only as good as it's weakest link.

Why is it everything needs to be politicized on speculation? I'm taking at their word this is not a policitally motivated event. (God help them is it does turn out that way however)

What I'm more concerned about is the FCC's draconian reporting requirements about stations defining and admitting problems and in essence guilt without any due process of arguing their case where fines are issued.

RR