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1. Craig_Adams
   

   Radio historian
   Posts: 2,317

   National Association of Broadcasters
   Webcast on How the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS)
   Can Help Broadcasters During an Emergency

   Tuesday, July 14, 2009
   3:30 p.m. Eastern
   ___________________________________________________________________________

   On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. EDT, the National Association of Broadcasters will host a 30-minute live webcast on why broadcasters should participate in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). DIRS is a voluntary, Web-based system that broadcasters can use to report their operational status and locate critical resources they may lack during emergencies. The FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local public safety officials rely on the information in DIRS to identify and help broadcast stations in need of fuel, generators and other needed equipment during times of emergencies.

   The discussion will include:

   * The origins and goals of DIRS
   * The vital benefits for broadcasters that participate in DIRS
   * Step-by-step instructions for obtaining a DIRS account and reporting your station's situation during major disasters
   * NAB's three-day national campaign to increase broadcaster participation in DIRS

   You will hear from the following experts from the FCC and NAB, and you will have the opportunity to engage in live Q&A throughout the session:

   * John Healy - Communications Systems Analysis Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, FCC
   * Larry Walke - associate general counsel, NAB
   * David Layer - senior director, Advanced Engineering, NAB

   Contact NAB's Larry Walke at (202) 429-4313 for more information.

   Click here to learn more about the FCC's DIRS program and to sign up.

   http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/nab/dirs/090714/

   Posted on July 6, 2009 - 07:29 PM #
2. KMH-DJ
   

   new electron
   Posts: 6

   OK, this brings up a great memory I have to share!
   As a 16 year old "DeeJay" on my midwestern, home-town radio station, I was pretty full of myself, especially when I was left alone to supervise the station operation, late at night.
   That feeling ended one Friday night, about 10:30 p.m., when I heard the bell from the EBS Teletype (remember those?) sound off in what we generously referred to as the "press room" (actually, a glorified closet with three teletype machines, and a bunch of nails on the wall to hang "tear-offs" from).
   Expecting a standard "this is a test" message, I strolled back to recover the teletype message, only to be rocked back on my heels when I read the words, "This is an Emergency Broadcast! This is NOT a Test!"
   Since my little hick state had, at the time, the single largest concentration of nuclear weapons on the planet, this was something I had long had bad dreams about!
   Of course, being a Friday night, anybody else from the station that I might have called for guidance was out. I was just preparing to do my duty, go on the air, and terrify every living soul for 50 miles around (at least the 20-30 who may have actually been listening), when the bell rang again, and to my great relief, announced the arrival of a second EBS message, canceling the first one.
   So, needless to say, we didn't go to war that Friday night back in 1970; but having "survived" an EBS "emergency", I can say I'm darn glad we don't have that particular "Sword of Damacles" hanging over our heads any more!

   Posted on July 8, 2009 - 04:11 PM #

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