I recently heard that all radio stations have some kind of equipment that links them directly to the Pesident. All he has to do is pick up the phone and he will have immediate radio contact with all of us or those that are listening to the radio. Does anyone know about this?

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), November 30, 1998

Answers

EBS (Emergency Broadcast System- the 90's answer to CONALRAD- 640 and 1240 -Hoo Boy, do I date myself there) doesn't work quite that fast but the capcbility is sitll there to get a Presidential Address on the air in a National Emergency.

Chuck

-- Chuck a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 30, 1998.

Linda,

What you're saying could easily be true. What I do know is that now when there is severe weather warning, it is *automatically* broadcast over a radio station's frequency, whether the disc-jockey does or doesn't flip a switch, and whether or not the D.J. even knows about the warning.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 30, 1998.

And to continue to install big brother in your living room - there are National Weather radios advertised that will continuously listen for this signal - (obviously, requires battery power or plugged in) and when the national alarm is "heard," sends an "alarm clock" type warning out over the radio speaker, starts the radio with the volume "up" automatically and plays the NOAA (could be FEMA/President too) broadcast to you.

Intended for tornado warning after dark/to people not already listening to the weather radio stations.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 30, 1998.