Ironically, NOAA Weather Radio, a VHF radio network that exists primarily to disseminate local/regional emergency alerts, does not appear to have participated in today’s test. They have their own alerting broadcast protocol, which is different from the EAS and WEA systems tested today.
And speaking of national alerts, one day in 1971 NORAD mistakenly activated the Emergency Broadcast System (predecessor to the EAS tested today), with a warning that suggested the US was under nuclear attack, with "details to follow".
And spare a thought for the late Bob Sievers, the WOWO-AM DJ who nervously stayed at his microphone for a very long five minutes as he wondered if and how the world was about to end. It was captured in this legendary aircheck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu4r79l8P8I
@f1c6c5c3 I take a certain perverse pride that this is my first thought when I see the word HATEFULNESS. It’s somehow so gloriously Cold-War I can smell it.
(As my parents have said often of me, “that boy ain’t right”.)
@7cdb6e9f With the old EBS system, every radio station got a list of daily authenticator words in a sealed envelope once a month. You weren't supposed to open it unless an alert came in, since the authenticators were the same for everyone (since the alerts were broadcast). They had you to return the previous month's envelope unopened, and presumably you'd have some explaining to do if it wasn't sealed.
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