Alert FM Gains Support of Broadcast Associations

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

The New Jersey and Missouri State Broadcasters Associations have joined Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee in the support of Alert FM, the FM radio-based personal alerting and messaging system from Global Security Systems (GSS). Using existing FM data subcarriers, Alert FM allows local, state and national emergency managers to deliver emergency alert messages to any electronic device with an FM receiver.

"In any emergency, FM radio's single-point to multi-point transmission assures the delivery of critical information to an infinite number of FM-enabled devices simultaneously -- a huge advantage over wireless broadband's point-to-point system which overloads and jams in that scenario," stated President/CEO Paul Rotella of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association. "Expanding the availability of FM on a variety of devices and implementing Alert FM at local radio stations will save more lives."

In a response to more than 60 members of Congress who have advocated the inclusion of FM receivers on mobile phones for Emergency Alert System (EAS) notifications, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stated that cellular companies must develop a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) by 2012. Incorporating FM receiver chips could help achieve this goal.

"The activation of the standard FM receiver chip that already resides in the majority of mobile phones in use in the U.S. will save lives right now," stated President/CEO Don Hicks of the Missouri Broadcasters Association. "By putting Alert FM into operation, radio can provide an immediate and highly effective emergency Alerting system that optimizes the existing FM infrastructure to reach targeted or widespread groups of people with life-saving messages."

Alert FM will operate the FM radio-based personal Alerting system as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) during the NAB Show, April 11-15, in Las Vegas.