History Main / EmergencyBroadcast

[[caption-width-right:350:[[DoNotAdjustYourSet Do not adjust your set,]][[ThisIsNotADrill this is not a drill.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:ThisIsNotADrill]]

[[folder:Film]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tor_warn_2789.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:ThisIsNotADrill]]

-->PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR EVACUATION ROUTES AND SURVIVAL PROCEDURES.
* Film/ThePurge has a truly haunting one given the subject matter it is broadcasting;

* Website/YouTube is full of uploads of EBS/EAS tests (as well as those for other systems outside the US). There are also clips where the sound is used as a screamer, as well as plenty of parodies, remixes, mockups, and WebAnimation/YouTubePoop.

* NBC used its "C-E-G" chime to this effect during World War II. In the event of some great emergency, the chime would be played as "C-E-G-C" to alert listeners and to recall all broadcasting employees back to work.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}:''' Canada has had a few emergency warning systems.
** The province of Alberta implemented its own warning system, the Alberta Emergency Public Warning System, following a devastating tornado that tore through Edmonton on July 31, 1987. Alerts could be disseminated through radio and [=TV=] to warn of threats like severe weather, wildfires, terrorist threats, and other threats to human safety. The system was replaced by Alberta Emergency Alert, which, in addition to television and radio alerts, can also give alerts via social media, apps and messages sent directly to phones, in October 2011. Alberta Emergency Alert uses a distinctive two-tone alarm.
** On March 31, 2015, the entire nation would launch their own national warning system, Alert Ready, which is distributed nationwide to [=TVs=], radios, and cell phones. Alert Ready was first envisioned as a weather warning system but is also used for civil emergencies, flood warnings, and Amber Alerts. Most provinces have also used it during the 2020-2021 pandemic to disseminate lockdown notices. It shares the same two-tone alarm used by Alberta Emergency Alert.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}:''' Canada's new warning system, Alert Ready, is distributed nationwide to [=TVs=], radios, and cell phone. Alert Ready was first envisioned as a weather warning system but is also used for civil emergencies, flood warnings, and Amber Alerts. Most provinces have also used it during the 2020-2021 pandemic to disseminate lockdown notices. It uses a distinctive two-tone alarm.

[[OhCrap The answer]] to the question, [[HellIsThatNoise "Hell is that noise?"]]

The Emergency Broadcast is a means of public warning and public annoyance alike. Hearing an Emergency Broadcast warning of actual danger may lead to OhCrap, MassOhCrap, the need for [[BringMyBrownPants one's brown pants to be brought]] -- in that way, it may be the ultimate BrownNote. On the other hand, a test or a warning of something that doesn't affect you (e.g. a {{missing child}} warning, a flood when you're on high ground, a tsunami when you're 100 miles inland) may be a BerserkButton and lead to frustration with CryingWolf. Another frequent frustration is when an actual alert has such horrible sound quality you can't understand what's being said. In many countries, AtomicHate was the primary reason for the system's creation, and it eventually (and thankfully) ended up never being used for that purpose ([[TemptingFate yet, anyway]]) and being used for many others. May involve an EmergencyPresidentialAddress. In some occasions, both in [[WeInterruptThisProgram fiction]] and [[BreakingNewsInterruption real life]], an emergency broadcast might outright preempt a program.

Obviously a major source of NightmareFuel. Needless to say, TruthInTelevision. See also WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties.

[[folder:Emergency Broadcast systems by country]]
* '''UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates:''' The U.S. was the first country to institute a nationwide emergency broadcast system. The first version of it was called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD CONELRAD]] and designed for the very specific purpose of warning people that [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes the Soviets were bombing]]. Then the government learned it could also be used to warn people about local emergencies like extreme weather events, upgraded the system, and renamed it the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Broadcast_System Emergency Broadcast System]]. The modern version is known as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Alert_System Emergency Alert System]] or EAS, because it's not just for broadcast -- you can also get alerts on satellite and cable TV, weather radios, highway signs, or your cell phone, in addition to radio and OTA television. Modern weather radios and cell phones are sufficiently advanced that they can turn on to broadcast a warning (useful if it's the middle of the night).
** The system is tested frequently[[note]]At least one test is carried out every week, usually just to make sure all equipment is functional, but monthly tests and the annual national test go through an entire activation of the system. The weekly and monthly tests can also be skipped if a legitimate activation has already happened that week, since obviously everything is in working order.[[/note]] and has been for a long time. Much of the pop-culture awareness of the system derives from these tests, particularly their admonition that "this is only a test" and that if this were a real emergency, the broadcast would include important instructions. These tests also introduced viewers to the [[HellIsThatNoise loud attention beep]],[[note]]Anyone who has been subject to severe weather are likely all-too-familiar with the loud, grating ''"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHH''" that's known to make your hair stand on end and quite possibly wake the dead[[/note]] although modern broadcasts rely more on the three repeated "chirps" (which are actually an encoded ASCII string with specific information about the emergency type and location); they're also delightfully called "duck farts". The CONELRAD era was particularly famous for its test activations, often done in conjunction with "duck and cover" civil defense drills of how to survive a nuclear attack; sometimes these drills are still done today, usually to prepare for a natural disaster. Places particularly prone to natural disasters (''e.g.'' near chemical or nuclear plants, or in a tornado-prone area) might also have warning sirens in conjunction with the alert, many of them repurposed air raid sirens from the Cold War era. In smaller communities, these sirens can be used to summon volunteer firefighters, but pagers are becoming more common for this purpose.
** The government is very strict about works of fiction using the EAS tones; they can only actually be used in a test or an actual emergency. In fact, inserting a frivolous EAS tone could lead to an accidental activation of the real alert hardware. The FCC levies heavy fines on broadcasters who break this rule.
** Although the EAS can be activated for a wide variety of natural disasters (''e.g.'' flash floods, tornadoes, wildfires, [[GiantWallOfWateryDoom tsunamis]], chemical spills), it's most often activated for an "Amber Alert", which alerts the public to a child abduction (and often gives details of the suspect's appearance or car), essentially an attempt to mobilize people to try and catch the suspect before he gets away. However, the National Weather Service has developed an [[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/ extensive weather radio system]] that automatically generates severe weather alerts and can also deliver regular EAS alerts as well. It can even broadcast warnings to specific ''towns'' -- when they did this by county, people kept ignoring the warning thinking [[SchmuckBait it didn't apply to them specifically]].
** Interestingly, EAS was ''not'' activated on September 11, 2001, probably the only event in the system's history when it might have been relevant to give a nationwide alert. However, as nationwide emergencies go, it was so well covered that EAS wasn't necessary; when the first plane hit the World Trade Center, most channels had suspended their normal programming to cover the event in record time (even though they couldn't be sure it wasn't just a horrendous accident). Even though only fifteen minutes passed between the two impacts on the World Trade Center, by the time the second plane hit (and everyone knew this was no accident), almost every channel in the country had already suspended its normal programming and was covering the event live. As such, anybody watching TV could learn way more about what was happening than from a regular EAS activation. (This, of course, has not prevented {{conspiracy theorist}}s from suggesting its lack of activation might be for a more sinister reason.)
** On occasion, the system hasn't worked right:
*** In 1971, a clerk intending to send out a routine test alert to all radio stations in the network accidentally loaded a Telex program tape that included the day's codeword -- long story short, they accidentally convinced every radio station in the country that the government had confirmed a catastrophic emergency of some kind and would broadcast important news shortly. To add insult to injury, the attempted retraction message had the ''wrong'' codeword, so they had to do it a second time. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B1EAeh6H_I Here are a couple of recordings]] of the event.
*** A nationwide EAS test in November 2011, which was the first official nationwide "test activation" since the CONELRAD era, showed that the system needed a little work. Some cable providers switched to their EAS feed station (usually QVC or another home shopping channel) without showing the test, others failed to state that it ''was'' a test, and [=DirecTV=] viewers heard Music/LadyGaga instead of the test message. They fixed the problems by the next time they did a nationwide test in 2016.
*** In January 2018, the state of Hawaii was erroneously given an alert that a missile was headed towards them. It took 30 minutes for them to declare it a false alarm. State officials blame a worker who pushed the wrong button. [[https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/952250070354874370 Here's]] a TV recording of the incident.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}:''' Canada's new warning system, Alert Ready, is distributed nationwide to [=TVs=], radios, and cell phone. Alert Ready was first envisioned as a weather warning system but is also used for civil emergencies, flood warnings, and Amber Alerts. Most provinces have also used it during the 2020-2021 pandemic to disseminate lockdown notices. It uses a distinctive two-tone alarm.
* '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} The United Kingdom]]:''' The British emergency broadcast is limited to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_minute_warning "Four-Minute Warning"]], so called because its sole use was to warn the public that [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes the Soviets were attacking]], and the Soviet Union was close enough to Britain that they only had four minutes' advance notice before the bombs started dropping. The system was dismantled in 1992, not long after the Soviet Union was. Weather warnings and emergency messages are typically done through special news reports. The networks are particularly prepared for special broadcasts announcing the death of a member of UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily. They rehearse it for pretty much every member, each of whom has a protocol named [[ThemeNaming after a bridge]] (''e.g.'' "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge London Bridge]]" for the late Queen, "Forth Bridge" for Prince Philip, "Menai Bridge" for the King). The government retains the legal right to take over the broadcasting of the two biggest networks (the Creator/{{BBC}} and Creator/{{ITV}}) in the event of a national emergency but has not to date used this power. As a general rule of thumb, if the BBC ever interrupts programming with the phrase “This is the BBC from London,” it’s either because of the above or because something horrible is happening or is about to happen - these include natural disasters, the death of the Prime Minister, terror attacks or even in the unlikely event of a nuclear strike. In addition, the UK has recently adopted a Wireless Alert System similar to that used in the USA, which sends emergency alerts as notifications to compatible phones.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}:''' The Japanese Emergency Warning System (or "J-Alert" system) is really slick and dates back to before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII for use by the Creator/{{NHK}}, Japan's national broadcaster. There are three sets of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrt26UfL13I "bell" tones,]] and the more urgent the tone, the more urgent the emergency: the first is for natural disasters and civil defense warnings, the second is for large-scale disasters and to announce the death of the Emperor or a member of his family, and the third is for declaration of war or national emergency and hasn't been used since World War II. It's technologically advanced enough to give ''earthquake'' warnings (well, 10-15 seconds in advance, but it's better than most places) and also gives detailed tsunami warnings within minutes, with a map of the hardest-hit areas. The NHK being a national broadcaster, it's also well-equipped to give emergency bulletins with information handed to them by the government. NHK alerts also include a data burst (which makes a "piro-piro-piro" sound on analog [=TVs=]) which includes second-language instructions for bilingual [=TVs=], so instead of Japanese, you could hear instructions in English, Chinese, Korean, or Portuguese.
** Many people know the "J-Alert" from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the accompanying tsunami. Videos on Website/YouTube of TV broadcasts at the time showed them warning of the earthquake before it happened and sometimes showing the shaking if it was broadcasting something live (NHK was showing the [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePoliticalSystem Japanese Diet]] discussing something and appearing annoyed that [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight they were being interrupted by an earthquake]]), then showed a studio announcer with an update (with the shaking still going on), before switching to the emergency alert system showing the map of Japan and which bits were about to get hit by a massive tsunami. Some versions show emergency instructions in English and Japanese being given simultaneously, so [[NiceJobBreakingItHero you can't understand either one]].
** In August 2017, UsefulNotes/NorthKorea tested a missile by flying it over Hokkaido and landing it in the Pacific Ocean. The NHK and J-Alert systems weren't actually in sync on this occasion (well, what do you do when a crazy dictator starts actually lobbing missiles over your country?), but it was the first activation of the system for the action of a foreign state since World War II. The J-Alert tone used was also synced to air-raid sirens in Hokkaido.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}:''' The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM4gPCLzLO8 Standard Emergency Warning Signal]] was originally developed in the state of Queensland to warn of cyclones, and was expanded nationwide to warn of bushfires and civil emergencies. It's notable for using a siren that's supposed to be scary, but actually [[{{Narm}} sounds pretty silly]], and has been compared to something out of a game show; most countries follow the American model and design their emergency tones to be [[BrownNote naturally jarring to listen to]].
* '''UsefulNotes/SouthKorea:''' In addition to standard emergency warning systems, South Korea conducts monthly intensive civil defense drills. Around the fifteenth of every month at around 2:00 pm, sirens go off, all road activity is stopped for fifteen minutes, pedestrians are encouraged to get off the pavement and take shelter, and radio stations (but not TV stations) interrupt their broadcasts and give instructions of where to go and what to do in case of an emergency. After fifteen minutes, an all-clear siren sounds, and normal activity resumes. This is almost entirely to train for a possible attack from UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, and drills are sometimes held more frequently when tensions with the North are high. For many years -- and uniquely for an emergency broadcast system -- separate civil defense alerts were broadcast on the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, partly because they explicitly included instructions to Americans in South Korea on evacuating the country.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}''' has a system from the old Soviet days which makes use of the ''radiotochka'', a system of power-independent wire radios that could broadcast emergency alerts even during blackouts.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}:''' The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Color Tseva Adom]] or "Red Colour" system is an emergency alert system that announces alerts on TV, radio, cell phones, and through an extensive national network of public speaker systems. Notably, it's probably the most frequently-used emergency alert system in the world, and certainly the most used for civil defense reasons, thanks to the long-standing UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict. The speaker system has been in place since at least the first Gulf War and was partly to relay instructions for putting on gas masks and retreating to safe rooms (due to concerns that Iraqi SCUD missiles could have chemical warheads). The "Tseva Adom" system was developed in communities bordering the Gaza Strip (a frequent source of missile attacks) and derives its name from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34GYNxhn7SU a famous documentary]] about children living there, but at least since 2012 the name is used to refer to the nationwide system. The alert is sometimes colloquially referred to as the "fifteen second warning", as that is usually how long you have to get to a bomb shelter. Israel's national radio broadcaster even has an automated system for broadcasting Tseva Adom alerts during [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} the Sabbath]], when it normally doesn't broadcast, so that observant Jews don't have to turn on a radio to listen to civil defense alerts.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}}''' The ''Sistema de Alerta Sísmica'' ("Seismic Alert System") is Mexico's main emergency alert system, developed in Guerrero and Oaxaca as an earthquake early warning system. The system is advanced enough that a strong earthquake can be detected in these areas and a warning given to Mexico City (one of the single most populous places in the world, and particularly susceptible to strong earthquakes) up to 50 seconds in advance of the shaking. In 2014, the city installed a large public megaphone system to announce alerts, and they're also broadcast through TV and radio (while some use the same "duck farts" as the American EAS, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kuN7pt1kZs others use]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnp6Qpzil4w a more well known "wow" sound]]).
* '''UsefulNotes/{{France}}:''' The ''Réseau National d'Alerte'' ("National Alert Network") was a network of about 4500 air raid sirens that do a test every first Wednesday of the month, at midday. However, many of these sirens date back to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and haven't been well maintained since then, so in 2009, the government revamped it as the ''Système d'Alerte et d'Information des Populations'' ("Populations' Alert and Information System"), or SAIP, which aims to create a more efficient network that would more easily indicate the nature of the emergency and would also broadcast alerts over TV, radio, smartphones, and variable message signs. Notably, it has a specific tone for dam failure.
* '''The UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}}''' basically borrowed their [[http://newsbytes.ph/2015/07/04/unprecedented-disaster-info-system-using-digital-tv-tested-in-ph/ Emergency Warning System]] from Japan (mostly because they use the same digital TV standard). The system is used to warn of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, typhoons, and other natural disasters which are common in the Philippines. It's also used for terror attacks and to provide evacuation orders. Alerts are coordinated through the major national broadcaster Creator/{{ABSCBN}} but are required to be carried on all networks (although they're not very well standardized).

[[/folder]]

* Naturally, this is the basis for WebVideo/EASScenarios, which feature a wide variety of stories played out through the medium of emergency broadcast messages.

* '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} The United Kingdom]]:''' The British emergency broadcast is limited to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_minute_warning "Four-Minute Warning"]], so called because its sole use was to warn the public that [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes the Soviets were attacking]], and the Soviet Union was close enough to Britain that they only had four minutes' advance notice before the bombs started dropping. The system was dismantled in 1992, not long after the Soviet Union was. Weather warnings and emergency messages are typically done through special news reports. The networks are particularly prepared for special broadcasts announcing the death of a member of UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily, and they rehearse it for pretty much every member, each of whom has a protocol named [[ThemeNaming after a bridge]] (''e.g.'' "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge London Bridge]]" for the Queen, "Forth Bridge" for Prince Philip, "Menai Bridge" for Prince Charles). The government retains the legal right to take over the broadcasting of the two biggest networks (the Creator/{{BBC}} and Creator/{{ITV}}) in the event of a national emergency, but has not to date used this power. As a general rule of thumb, if the BBC ever interrupts programming with the phrase “This is the BBC from London”, it’s either because of the above, or because something horrible is happening or is about to happen - these include natural disasters, the death of the Prime Minister, terror attacks or even in the unlikely event of a nuclear strike. In addition, the UK has recently adopted a Wireless Alert System similar to that used in the USA, which sends emergency alerts as notifications to compatible phones.

* NBC used its "C-E-G" chime to this effect during World War II. In the event of some great emergency, the chime would be played as "C-E-G-C" to alert listeners.

* Parodied in an episode of ''Series/{{Roundhouse}}'', where instead of using a machine of some sort to imitate the Emergency Broadcasting System's screeching noise, two cast members decided to ''[[UpToEleven scream]]'' the screech's normal duration.

* '''The UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}}''' basically borrowed their [[http://newsbytes.ph/2015/07/04/unprecedented-disaster-info-system-using-digital-tv-tested-in-ph/ Emergency Warning System]] from Japan (mostly because they use the same digital TV standard). The system is used to warn of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, typhoons, and other natural disasters which are common in the Philippines. It's also used for terror attacks and to provide evacuation orders. Alerts are coordinated through the major national broadcaster creator/{{ABSCBN}} but are required to be carried on all networks (although they're not very well standardized).

* '''The UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}}''' basically borrowed their [[http://newsbytes.ph/2015/07/04/unprecedented-disaster-info-system-using-digital-tv-tested-in-ph/ Emergency Warning System]] from Japan (mostly because they use the same digital TV standard). The system is used to warn of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, typhoons, and other natural disasters which are common in the Philippines. It's also used for terror attacks and to provide evacuation orders. Alerts are coordinated through the major national broadcaster ABS-CBN but are required to be carried on all networks (although they're not very well standardized).

The Emergency Broadcast is a means of public warning and public annoyance alike. Hearing an Emergency Broadcast warning of actual danger may lead to OhCrap, MassOhCrap, the need for [[BringMyBrownPants one's brown pants to be brought]] -- in that way, it may be the ultimate BrownNote. On the other hand, a test or a warning of something that doesn't affect you (e.g. a {{missing child}} warning, a flood when you're on high ground, a tsunami when you're 100 miles inland) may be a BerserkButton and lead to frustration with CryingWolf. Another frequent frustration is when an actual alert has such horrible sound quality you can't understand what's being said. In many countries, AtomicHate was the primary reason for the system's creation, and it eventually (and thankfully) ended up never being used for that purpose and being used for many others. May involve an EmergencyPresidentialAddress. In some occasions, both in [[WeInterruptThisProgram fiction]] and [[BreakingNewsInterruption real life]], an emergency broadcast might outright preempt a program.

* '''[[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} The United Kingdom]]:''' The British emergency broadcast is limited to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_minute_warning "Four-Minute Warning"]], so called because its sole use was to warn the public that [[UsefulNotes/FromRussiaWithNukes the Soviets were attacking]], and the Soviet Union was close enough to Britain that they only had four minutes' advance notice before the bombs started dropping. The system was dismantled in 1992, not long after the Soviet Union was. Weather warnings and emergency messages are typically done through special news reports. The networks are particularly prepared for special broadcasts announcing the death of a member of UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily, and they rehearse it for pretty much every member, each of whom has a protocol named [[ThemeNaming after a bridge]] (''e.g.'' "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge London Bridge]]" for the Queen, "Forth Bridge" for Prince Philip, "Menai Bridge" for Prince Charles). The government retains the legal right to take over the broadcasting of the two biggest networks (the Creator/{{BBC}} and Creator/{{ITV}}) in the event of a national emergency, but has not to date used this power.
* '''UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}:''' The Japanese Emergency Warning System (or "J-Alert" system) is really slick and dates back to before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII for use by the Creator/{{NHK}}, Japan's national broadcaster. There are three sets of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrt26UfL13I "bell" tones,]] and the more urgent the tone, the more urgent the emergency: the first is for natural disasters and civil defense warnings, the second is for large-scale disasters and to announce the death of the Emperor or a member of his family, and the third is for declaration of war or national emergency and hasn't been used since World War II. It's technologically advanced enough to give ''earthquake'' warnings (well, 10-15 seconds in advance, but it's better than most places) and also gives detailed tsunami warnings with a map of the hardest-hit areas. The NHK being a national broadcaster, it's also well-equipped to give emergency bulletins with information handed to them by the government. NHK alerts also include a data burst (which makes a "piro-piro-piro" sound on analog [=TVs=]) which includes second-language instructions for bilingual [=TVs=], so instead of Japanese, you could hear instructions in English, Chinese, Korean, or Portuguese.

* Used dramatically in the MadeForTVMovie ''Film/WithoutWarning'', which interrupts the opening of another, ostensibly unrelated TV movie to inform the viewer that a meteor is headed towards Earth.

* Used dramatically in the MadeForTVMovie ''Without Warning'', which interrupts the opening of another, ostensibly unrelated TV movie to inform the viewer that a meteor is headed towards Earth.

* PlayedForLaughs in the ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode “The Matchmaker”. Frasier and Rox sit in their radio booths, looking incredibly bored, as the EBS “BEEP” is heard. Once it has finished, Frasier addresses his listeners.