CMU School of Drama


Monday, October 21, 2024

ESPN Facing Six-Figure Fine For Emergency Tones In Promos

brobible.com: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Thursday that it is proposing ESPN be fined for repeated violations of rules about the use of Emergency Alert System (EAS) tones in its promos.

2 comments:

Jasper Gitlitz said...

Although it makes sense once I sit down and really think about it, I never thought about emergency alerts and how the specific tones associated with them are restricted. However, this also makes me wonder how and why these restricted sounds are even publically available and accessible for companies like ESPN. If the use of these sounds are so important to keep restrictions on in order to make sure they’re only used for their intended purposes, it seems crazy to me that they can even be accessed by unauthorized organizations. Because the emergency alert system is so important, I think it’s vital that ESPN is properly punished for violating the rules surrounding them. If ESPN and other companies get the idea that they will not face consequences for violating the rules, they will repeatedly continue to do so until the emergency alert system is no longer useful for what it needs to do.

Lydia J said...

It seems crazy that this is a real issue, but it does make sense. Nearly $150k is a very heft fine, but it will prove a point to large companies and help to "protect" these sounds that are made for our safety. People quickly become annoyed and desensitized when they are repeatedly exposed to a sound. They block it out or they start to lose the subconscious response that has been created in us, which makes these alarms so effective in the first place. It is important that the federal government protects these sounds so that they can continue to use them, but it does seem comical that there is a $150,000 fine being enforced for the usage of an alarm sounds in a commercial.