Calif: Signal snafu broadcasts (R) political ad (over Emergency Alert System)

[Newsjock]

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/16005

Northern California radio stations got something extra Monday with the monthly emergency alert system test transmitted by fellow station KFBK -- and at least one of them was none too happy about it.

The test, complete with raspy alarm and tone, didn't end with the familiar words, "This concludes the test of the Emergency Alert System..."

Instead, it segued into a political advertisement by former state Sen. Dick Mountjoy, who is running for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein, and another spot for a mortgage company.

... As a result, KFBK's regular programming -- in this case, the ads -- took over the airwaves at radio stations in 17 Northern California counties, and perhaps even the audio of some television stations.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=10638

In an apparent violation of FCC rules, conservative talk radio station KFBK 1530 AM in Sacramento transmitted a paid political advertisement to an unknown number of other stations in the area, using the federal Emergency Alert System (EAS), thus automatically forcing the ad onto the stations' airwaves. This is according to a press release issued today by KDVS-FM, a non-commercial community station in Davis that received and inadvertently aired the transmission.

[silverweb]

1. LOL

Who really believes this was a "signal snafu" ??

The reTHUG gangs really do think Americans are that stupid, don't they?

:rofl:

[Delphinus]

11. Repubs,

and those born yesterday!

[Kagemusha]

2. That's low. That's really, really low.

Heads need to proverbially roll for this. This is absolutely unacceptable and brings the entire emergency alert system into disrepute.

[truthisfreedom]

3. every error, every glitch, every single robocall, all benefit the thug party.

every election machine error, touch-screen mis-selection, mis-count, and any other shenannegans ALWAYS benefit the thugs.

[LeftCoast]

5. It's also pretty stupid because the guy doesn't stand a chance

They basically pulled a low-down trick for no reason.

[treestar]

Too often to be a coincidence

[TechBear_Seattle]

21. Awfully convenient, isn't it? n/t

[spag68]

4. I think

that Sen. Feinstein can handle it. She is as tough a woman as her counterpart in the house, the fighting grandmother, the next speaker, in this corner Nancy the crusher Pelosi. Go get them girls

[HuffleClaw]

6. inadvertently !

suuuuuure.

[Up2Late]

7. Now if the FCC refuses to even start talking about pulling KFBK 1530 AM license...

...I don't what I'll do...

[upi402]

8. now that Colin Powell's son is out...

aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!!!
These scum are,... well SCUM!

[depakid]

9. A real threat of license revocation

and serious fines would prevent "snafus" and "inadvertent" abuses like this....

Real quick.

[LifeDuringWartime]

20. why threaten?

clearly that station can't handle the responsibilities of having a license. take it away immediately!

[MadHound]

10. This wasn't an accident, this was deliberate

Now, it may have changed a bit from back when I was in radio, but frankly this would have to be a deliberate broadcast, especially for it to go on for two minutes. One would have to patch at least one cord back into the EBS monitor, and deliberately leave that channel potted up during this time. As the controling engineer, you would be hearing this continue to broadcast either over your headphones or speakers.

Hopefully the FCC will bust KFBK with a large fine for this sort of shit. It is doubtful that they will get their license pulled.

[NashVegas]

14. Operator Error My Ass

The EAS system is fully automated. You hit the 'intro,' (from your audio system) hit the (separate system) black box button for a test, let it squawk,** hit the 'outro,' (back on your system) and go back to whatever you were doing.

** that squawk is the only thing the EAS is supposed to broadcast. When radio station A picks up station B's EAS test, the incoming voice alerting station A to the test is an automated, computerized, voice. Everything else is the squawk!

[NOLADEM]

12. This is a total misuse of emergency equipment, and should be treated as a prank 911 call

[NashVegas]

13. This Is the EAS SCAM!

When we were on the old EBS, each station had to manually run its own test.

The deal that was made between Washington and broadcasters was this: automate your EBS to EAS, and we'll throw out that law that says it's required that there be someone in the studio 24/7.

That deal made it possible for radio stations to bring us voice tracking, and eliminate tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of jobs.

The EAS system allows for a radio station's airwaves to be taken ahold of by the gov't in times of emergency and all broadcast operations to come straight from DC.

Don't you love it?

The station that did this should have their license pulled. There was no way, no possible way, this was an accident. Someone had to get into the box and program this.

[Pab Sungenis]

15. There are no accidents.

The Republicans are shameless and desperate, and that's a dangerous combination.

[pinniped]

16. Issue a $1,000,000.00 fine against those emercgency rules....

breaking boneheads.

[NorthernSpy]

17. why do all these equipment malfunctions and operator errors favor the GOP?

Oh, I know. All these "lucky" accidents with electronic voting machines and broadcasting equipment are really little miracles from gawd, cause he loves them more and wants them to win.


:eyes:

[The Count]

18. What are the odds, huh?

[AlCzervik]

19. I heard this happen, at first i wasn't sure what the hell was going on

and i could not believe it, thats our emergency system they broke in to and that has to be illegal, i contacted the county emergency offices and they were also stunned.

[diamidue]

22. I MIGHT have thought it was an accident, BUT

this station, KFBK is the same station that gave Rush Limbaugh his big break when he lived in Sacramento.

"Limbaugh's radio career was revived by Norm Woodruff, a San Francisco radio executive who urged friends at Sacramento's KFBK to hire him at a time when, after his numerous firings and work in baseball, Limbaugh was essentially a nobody in the radio business. Woodruff even took Limbaugh shopping for clothes, improving his previously rather schleppy physical presentation to make a better impression on KFBK brass. The station decided to take a chance, putting Limbaugh on in what had been Morton Downey, Jr.'s time slot. His ratings were better than Downey's, putting Limbaugh's career back on track. In telling the story of his success, Limbaugh occasionally mentions Woodruff's help, but he never mentions that Woodruff was openly gay, and died of AIDS in the 1980s."
http://www.nndb.com/people/428/000022362/

[civildisoBDence]

29. I'm shocked, SHOCKED I tell ya!

In the land of earthquakes, wildfires, and riots, LIMBAUGH is the real natural disaster.

Newsprism

[BrotherBuzz]

31. To KFBK's credit they also gave Bernie Ward his start, and employed..

Christine Craft who had consistently high ratings. They are two very progressive people I still listen to today, albeit on other radio stations.

[mom cat]

23. Arrest the bums!

[anotherdrew]

24. yank their broadcast license yesterday, at least of whoever was operating the equipment

that was no mistake

[AndyTiedye]

25. No Accident

They don't control quite ALL of the radio stations out here in California
like they do in much of the country, so they abuse the EBS to force their
propaganda on us.

[warrens]

26. The fine for that must be enormous

I hope the Cal dems sue the bastards.

[smartvoter]

27. Oh yes, the timing of this is a real accident. LOL. nt

[madrchsod]

28. who authorized the commercial to be broadcast?

is the fine worth the trouble when the guy had no chance in hell of beating dianne...dumb asses

[0rganism]

30. wrong acronym: SN = "Situation Normal" -- this is NOT normal

The other 3 letters (AFU) seem to apply.

on a related topic, why would any parent with the last name of "Mountjoy" name a son "Dick"?

[neuvocat]

32. I have never seen any political organization

try so hard to kill itself, especially one as big as the republican.

[Xithras]

33. I posted this in the CA forum right after it happened.

I don't buy for a second that it was an accident, ESPECIALLY now that I know it originated with KFBK. That a right wing radio station would "accidentally" use the EBS to broadcast a right wing message to voters the day before the election is too coincidental to believe.

For those that didn't hear it, the broadcast segued from the standard EBS into a "warning" about millions of illegals streaming into our country, and a vicious attack on Feinstein for her support of illegal aliens. It basically blamed her for our borders being open.

It's funny how we have a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and a Republican President, and yet it's FEINSTEIN'S fault that our borders aren't more tightly controlled. I believe the term for that is Congitive Dissonance.

[katty]

34. HA!

[struggle4progress]

35. 47 CFR 11.45

Sec. 11.45 Prohibition of false or deceptive EAS transmissions.


No person may transmit or cause to transmit the EAS codes or

Attention Signal, or a recording or simulation thereof, in any

circumstance other than in an actual National, State or Local Area

emergency or authorized test of the EAS ...

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/09nov20051500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2005/octqtr/47cfr11.45.htm