[cbd1984]

Radio is worthless in an emergency unless there's:

- Someone in the booth. 24/7. No downtime. No autopilot. No sign-offs. No bathroom breaks without someone to cover. No excuses. If the weather gets bad, have at least two shifts in the station. Bring cots.

This has already been a problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment

- A way to get information to the radio station when every other method of communication is down. Satellite is not an option, because Earth stations can be disabled by severe wind or heavy snowfall. Point-to-point microwave is killed by heavy precipitation (rain fade, boys and girls) or widespread blackouts. Blackouts also kill Internet links. That isn't even considering man-made disasters.

- Repeated, serious testing of this stuff, before it's too late, with real consequences for people who fail. And, yes, in this context, having a good reason is failure. Having a good excuse is failure. "Lessons learned" is always, always, always don't fail.

- And, finally, a guarantee that people will hear the message when it goes out, not when their brother's friend's wife's accountant's CPA tells them, and most certainly not over social media. If SMS is more effective than FM in this role, FM has failed at the task.

That's the bare minimum to be taken seriously as an emergency alarm and disaster broadcast medium.

[hga]

While I take your points, see my other reply, it sounds like the Minot train derailment is being used for anti-radio consolidation propaganda as opposed to a real and useful object lesson about the role of AM and FM consumer radio. The critical details per the Wikipedia article are that the Emergency Alert System was not activated by any of the authorities who could do it, which didn't include the radio stations themselves, and who's listening to the radio at 2:30 am for putative local announcers to do their thing?

I think you're overly focused on immediate emergency announcements, where you should not depend on normal consumer AM and FM radio, vs. in the US systems like sirens and NOAA radios with their alarm system. Local consumer radio is much more useful for follow on information, once people are alerted and desire to find out more information.

[cbd1984]

> I think you're overly focused on immediate emergency announcements, where you should not depend on normal consumer AM and FM radio

Except this is precisely the claim I was responding to: The idea that consumer AM/FM radio should be preserved for precisely that kind of prompt emergency announcement functionality, and to maintain communications after other communications methods have been knocked out in a severe emergency.

The Minot Train Derailment was a disaster for multiple reasons, as disasters often are, but my point stands: The FM station was unmanned, because it was part of a national network and broadcasting a satellite feed, and the local authorities falsely assumed there was someone there who could break into the programming to deliver an emergency message. The fact the sirens also didn't go off is somewhat beside the point I'm making.