View Full Version : COX & The EAS



westsidesooner
04-08-2009, 04:16 PM
This topic has been touched on in other threads but something happened last night that has me concerned. While (trying to) watch a program on the History Channel yesterday at 11:11PM the EAS warning sounded. I was a little irritated at first thinking it was just another test, the same one they seem to perform every few days. And the first time it said something like "this is a test of the Emergency alert system" but....on the screen the graphics showed an amber alert/child abduction alert. So I changed to channel 7 and the graphic there said it was just a test. I then proceeded to (try) watch my program when the alert came on 10 minutes later. This time it said "There is an emergency in your area please tune to channel 7 or one of your local channels for information". Again thinking this was serious I changed to 7 then 4 then 5 then 9 and nothing except the graphic and warning on channel 7.

I remember during one of the interruptions the graphic said "There is a child abduction alert from 11:11pm til 1:11am..... HUH????? Does anyone know if something was actually happening? Was a child abducted? If so why was the alert for only 2 hours....are they pshchic?

They had several different messages ie "this is a test", then "An emergency has been declared for your area" Which is it? Cox needs to understand that its causing confusion and people will stop paying attention to their annoying alert tone. What happens when there really is an emergency? I finally gave up and tivo'd the show I was watching and will watch it tonight.

The interruptions aren't what concerns me, they annoy me but I can live with that. Sending out either false or confusing information during an emergnecy or test does. Anyone else see this last night? Or anyone work at Cox care to comment?

Bobby821
04-08-2009, 08:25 PM
Drop Cox and go to regular over the air antenna, Problem solved. Programming is Free too

oneforone
04-09-2009, 03:50 AM
Drop Cox and go to regular over the air antenna, Problem solved. Programming is Free too

That is all well and good unless you work swing shift like I do. (3-11) I watch TV late at night and into the early morning. There is nothing on but informercials and wannabe cable news shows (CBS Up to the minute, ABC World News Now)

westsidesooner
04-09-2009, 08:13 AM
Drop Cox and go to regular over the air antenna, Problem solved. Programming is Free too

As mentioned before I wish they'd tweak their alert system, but thats not the problem. My beef with Cox is their lack of judgement. What they did the other night was either misinforming the public or worse yet crying wolf.

Bobby821
04-09-2009, 08:27 AM
That is all well and good unless you work swing shift like I do. (3-11) I watch TV late at night and into the early morning. There is nothing on but informercials and wannabe cable news shows (CBS Up to the minute, ABC World News Now)

Hey it is better than nothing right? and it is free not costing you an arm and leg by monopolistic overchargeing Cox.

Bobby821
04-09-2009, 08:30 AM
As mentioned before I wish they'd tweak their alert system, but thats not the problem. My beef with Cox is their lack of judgement. What they did the other night was either misinforming the public or worse yet crying wolf.

Only thing you can do is just not watch them cut them off or ignore it. there main goal is to sell you as much programming as they can, they hate it when you downgrade services or cut them off completely, customer service is horrible on top of that, If I had a better and free option for home phone service and internet I would cut Cox off completely. AT&T is just as bad if not worse than Cox is

metro
04-09-2009, 10:49 AM
Pretty sure the EAS is federally mandated and not "Cox mandated." They are required to do it every so often as a test.

stick47
04-09-2009, 11:01 AM
I've never seen one of those alerts on Dishnet.

Bobby821
04-09-2009, 11:06 AM
I've never seen one of those alerts on Dishnet.

You have a pizza dish?

Joe Kimball
04-09-2009, 11:06 AM
I was casually conversing with a couple of friends last night about TV and they brought this up--curiously to me, as I was rather freaked out and alarmed at the repetition in the event that there were a real Amber Alert being stuffed up. I checked online during this snafu, however, and there were none.

Cox's implementation of the federally-mandated warning/test, however, is one of the least annoying versions I've seen of it. There's a group of hobbyists on YouTube who collect sign-offs, EBS/EAS warnings, Weather Channel segments and otherwise ephemera; I ran across them looking for old local news clips (which exist, BTW). Some of the tests involve blanking out the entire screen with a stark red slide.

stick47
04-09-2009, 11:08 AM
You have a pizza dish?

What part of the English language is it that you don't comprehend Dude?
And if you were cracking wise, it missed the mark.

Bobby821
04-09-2009, 11:08 AM
I was casually conversing with a couple of friends last night about TV and they brought this up--curiously to me, as I was rather freaked out and alarmed at the repetition in the event that there were a real Amber Alert being stuffed up. I checked online during this snafu, however, and there were none.

Cox's implementation of the federally-mandated warning/test, however, is one of the least annoying versions I've seen of it. There's a group of hobbyists on YouTube who collect sign-offs, EBS/EAS warnings, Weather Channel segments and otherwise ephemera; I ran across them looking for old local news clips (which exist, BTW). Some of the tests involve blanking out the entire screen with a stark red slide.

as it should be no video but something to get peoples attention.

westsidesooner
04-09-2009, 11:16 AM
They had several different messages ie "this is a test", then "An emergency has been declared for your area" Which is it?

The interruptions aren't what concerns me, they annoy me but I can live with that. Sending out either false or confusing information during an emergnecy or test does. Anyone else see this last night? Or anyone work at Cox care to comment?

Again...The alert system needs tweaking, maybe do it on a regular schedule like they do with the tornado sirens. Thats not my main concern. But I doubt the federal government (or cox) really wants contradicting "tests" and "an emergency has been issued" and "a child abduction alert has been issued" messages all being shown within 30 minutes of each other.

Other threads have bashed local authorities (and networks) for sensationalizing weather alerts. So now people are starting to tune them (weather warnings) out. Do we really want to take that chance when it comes to an abducted child alert??? I'm not out to get Cox...just an explanation.

Joe Kimball
04-09-2009, 11:49 AM
as it should be no video but something to get peoples attention.

I would humbly disagree, especially when Cox cleans out whatever spilled inside the Master Control board (the accident by which it happened perhaps known only to God and someone else).

I find their muting of the aural transmission in favor of the warning tones and the stripe across the top of the screen an effective attention-getter, as well as a fine sieve to prevent the baby from being thrown out with the bathwater.