At 11 am tomorrow, the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System will be seen and heard on a variety of media – over-the-air/cable/satellite TV, radio, etc. The test is scheduled to last about (updated) thirty seconds. Authorities are worried people will call 911 to find out what’s going on – so in a word, DON’T. According to the official federal info about the test, here’s what you will hear and see:
During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” Although the EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be the same for all EAS Participants; however, due to limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that “This is a test.” This is due to the use of the live EAN code – the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of the television screen may indicate that an “Emergency Action Notification has been issued.” This notification is used to disseminate a national alert and in this case, the test. In addition, the background image that appears on video screens during an alert may indicate that “This is a test,” but in some instances there might not be an image at all.
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