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* On the 16 May 1992, the broadcasts of [[KCAU-TV]], the ABC-affiliated television station in [[Sioux City, Iowa]], were interrupted by the Sioux City Police Department to relay news of a [[tornado warning]].<ref>{{Citation|last=ArchiveAnnex|title=KCAU (Sioux City, IA) Tornado Warning (Sat. May 16, 1992)|date=2016-06-14|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA1VXMSvQJI|accessdate=2016-07-15}}</ref>
* On the 16 May 1992, the broadcasts of [[KCAU-TV]], the ABC-affiliated television station in [[Sioux City, Iowa]], were interrupted by the Sioux City Police Department to relay news of a [[tornado warning]].<ref>{{Citation|last=ArchiveAnnex|title=KCAU (Sioux City, IA) Tornado Warning (Sat. May 16, 1992)|date=2016-06-14|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA1VXMSvQJI|accessdate=2016-07-15}}</ref>
* On the 3 May 1999, the broadcasts of a cable provider were interrupted during one of the tornadoes in the [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]]. The event was notable as the operator dialing the system forgot to dial out, leaving viewers with a black screen for over two minutes and hearing an [[intercept message]] generated by the telephone system.<ref>{{Citation|last=Honeydew Wilkins|title=Oklahoma Emergency Alert System - May 3, 1999|date=2013-06-02|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1TltnO0p8o|accessdate=2016-07-10}}</ref>
* On the 3 May 1999, the broadcasts of a cable provider were interrupted during one of the tornadoes in the [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]]. The event was notable as the operator dialing the system forgot to dial out, leaving viewers with a black screen for over two minutes and hearing an [[intercept message]] generated by the telephone system.<ref>{{Citation|last=Honeydew Wilkins|title=Oklahoma Emergency Alert System - May 3, 1999|date=2013-06-02|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1TltnO0p8o|accessdate=2016-07-10}}</ref>
* On the 20 June 2002, the [[18th Wing]] Command Post erroneously transmitted an alert onto the US channel [[Nickelodeon]], which was intended for [[NHK]] in Japan. Tropical storm conditions had been reported in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan, the location of the [[Kadena Air Base]] and home of the [[18th Wing]]. After the transmission ended, staff at the Nickelodeon control center in [[Orlando, Florida]] quickly relayed the message onto NHK.<ref>{{Citation|last=statefairshows|title=Local Access Alert EAS / EBS (6/20/2002)|date=2012-12-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfdHshKFAkU|accessdate=2016-07-15}}</ref>
* On the 20 June 2002, the [[18th Wing]] Command Post transmitted an alert through the on-base cable system regarding tropical storm conditions in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], [[Japan]].<ref>{{Citation|last=statefairshows|title=Local Access Alert EAS / EBS (6/20/2002)|date=2012-12-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfdHshKFAkU|accessdate=2016-07-15}}</ref>
* In 2002, a Tornado Watch was aired on [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] in a unknown area. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pY-pK0Uyac</ref>
* In 2002, a Tornado Watch was aired on [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] in a unknown area. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pY-pK0Uyac</ref>
* On December 9, 2003, a blizzard warning was aired on [[KQTV]] in St. Joseph, MO. <ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR5fJwtyaBI </ref>
* On December 9, 2003, a blizzard warning was aired on [[KQTV]] in St. Joseph, MO. <ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR5fJwtyaBI </ref>

Revision as of 18:44, 29 January 2019

The Local Access Alert was a national warning system in the United States designed to warn cable television viewers of impending dangers, such as tornadoes, flash flooding and other civil emergencies. The system was largely replaced by the Emergency Alert System, although it still exists in some areas which have not yet upgraded.

Functionality

The modernized Local Access Alert screen.

The Local Access Alert was used by local law enforcement agencies and emergency management staff, and it's much like the antiquated Emergency Broadcast System. A public servant would dial up a number and PIN through a phone to take control of a certain cable city or cluster in the path of danger. Once the number and PIN are entered, it switches all cable subscribers, regardless of what channel they're on, to a black screen or static and uses a distinct attention signal (in this case, a siren). Police or emergency management then let viewers know of an impending disaster and instructs them to take shelter or evacuate. The more modern systems had a black screen with the words "Local Access Alert" in all capital letters. The problem with the Local Access Alert system is that the operators would have to dial out to end transmission. Simply hanging up the phone connected to such system after an emergency broadcast would not work, and sometimes viewers would hear other phone noises (examples: off-hook and/or a dial tone) before finally being switched back to normal cable operations.

With a gradual transition from analog to digital cable, the Local Access Alert has been phased out and replaced by the Emergency Alert System, which employs Specific Area Message Encoding technology to activate for potential disasters and deactivate to resume cable broadcasts, especially late at night when many public servants aren't available to break in.

Incidents

Recordings exist of the Local Access Alert System being activated by a number of authorities, as recently as November 2016.

  • Sometime in 1990, cable operations were interrupted by the St. Joseph Communications Center to inform the cluster of a tornado watch.[1]
  • On the 16 May 1992, the broadcasts of KCAU-TV, the ABC-affiliated television station in Sioux City, Iowa, were interrupted by the Sioux City Police Department to relay news of a tornado warning.[2]
  • On the 3 May 1999, the broadcasts of a cable provider were interrupted during one of the tornadoes in the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. The event was notable as the operator dialing the system forgot to dial out, leaving viewers with a black screen for over two minutes and hearing an intercept message generated by the telephone system.[3]
  • On the 20 June 2002, the 18th Wing Command Post transmitted an alert through the on-base cable system regarding tropical storm conditions in Okinawa, Japan.[4]
  • In 2002, a Tornado Watch was aired on AMC in a unknown area. [5]
  • On December 9, 2003, a blizzard warning was aired on KQTV in St. Joseph, MO. [6]
  • On November 3 2009, a test was aired on the FX channel in an unknown area.[7]
  • On October 23, 2012, a test was aired on an Arizona public access channel.[8]
  • On the 4 November 2014, a child abduction emergency message was broadcast to the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin.[9]
  • On November 19 2016, an AMBER Alert was broadcast. [10]

References

  1. ^ MightyFalcon2011 (2017-01-05), 1990 St. Joseph Communications Center Emergency Alert, retrieved 2018-02-09{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ ArchiveAnnex (2016-06-14), KCAU (Sioux City, IA) Tornado Warning (Sat. May 16, 1992), retrieved 2016-07-15
  3. ^ Honeydew Wilkins (2013-06-02), Oklahoma Emergency Alert System - May 3, 1999, retrieved 2016-07-10
  4. ^ statefairshows (2012-12-16), Local Access Alert EAS / EBS (6/20/2002), retrieved 2016-07-15
  5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pY-pK0Uyac
  6. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR5fJwtyaBI
  7. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvPkQnEYW5U
  8. ^ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5zCA0kOlFsE
  9. ^ themilwaukeeboy (2016-02-03), Waukesha Child Abduction EAS - Mariela S Lopez-Gonzalez - 11/4/2014, retrieved 2016-07-10
  10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgBZbtyPy0Y
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