Calif: Signal snafu broadcasts (R) political ad (over Emergency Alert System)
From the KDVS press release:
* Disaster warning system used to transmit advertisements
EAS (generally characterized by its signature tones and test disclaimer) is designed and exclusively used for rapid communication alerting areas to emergency situations (such as natural disasters). The content of these messages is strictly controlled by federal law for obvious reasons.
* Sacramento conservative talk radio station KFBK transmitted the initial message
KFBK 1530 AM in Sacramento is the Local Primary (LP) station designated to initiate the broadcast of EAS messages in several Northern California counties, including Yolo. This morning, KFBK initiated the required monthly test of EAS but failed to cease broadcasting via EAS upon the standard message of EAS conclusion ("This concludes this test of the Emergency Alert System"). Instead, they forced rebroadcast of the aforementioned advertisements, including the paid political advertisement.
* KFBK blames training error for the transmission
Upon contact by KDVS management, KFBK Operations Manager Alan Eisansom claimed station responsibility for the message broadcast assigning blame to some kind of nonspecific training snafu.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=10638