3 ms·

In a true emergency situation (like if a big portion of the power grid or internet went down) you need some way to communicate with people. This is a no brainer

In a true emergency situation (like if a big portion of the power grid or internet went down) you need some way to communicate with people. This is a no brainer if you care about public safety.

guenthert 2y ago
As others have already stated, the safety aspect is just a red-herring. Even in 'merica, most people don't quite spend most of their time in the car. And who has an AM radio at home or with them? Like it or not (I don't), but smartphones is the medium to reach the vast majority of people. And if in a disaster cell phone services is interrupted, that will the be first to be restored (before water and power), by temporary means if necessary. E.g. Cisco has an emergency response team with mobile tech.
msla 2y ago
The problem is that radio stations typically don't have anyone in the booth most of the time, if ever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment > The Minot train derailment occurred just west of Minot, North Dakota, United States, on January 18, 2002, when a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train derailed, spreading ammonia gas across the city, delaying rescue operations. The cause was found to be small fatigue cracks in the rails and joint bars, not detectable by the inspection routines then enforced by Canadian Pacific. [snip] > Because it was the middle of the night, there were few people at local radio stations, all operated by Clear Channel with mostly automated programming. No formal emergency warnings were issued for several hours while Minot officials located station managers at home. North Dakota's public radio network, Prairie Public Broadcasting, was notified and did broadcast warnings to citizens. And Minot is one of the bigger cities in North Dakota.

3 ms·

In a true emergency situation (like if a big portion of the power grid or internet went down) you need some way to communicate with people. This is a no brainer

by bparsons 2y ago

In a true emergency situation (like if a big portion of the power grid or internet went down) you need some way to communicate with people. This is a no brainer if you care about public safety.

guenthert 2y ago
As others have already stated, the safety aspect is just a red-herring. Even in 'merica, most people don't quite spend most of their time in the car. And who has an AM radio at home or with them? Like it or not (I don't), but smartphones is the medium to reach the vast majority of people. And if in a disaster cell phone services is interrupted, that will the be first to be restored (before water and power), by temporary means if necessary. E.g. Cisco has an emergency response team with mobile tech.
msla 2y ago
The problem is that radio stations typically don't have anyone in the booth most of the time, if ever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment > The Minot train derailment occurred just west of Minot, North Dakota, United States, on January 18, 2002, when a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train derailed, spreading ammonia gas across the city, delaying rescue operations. The cause was found to be small fatigue cracks in the rails and joint bars, not detectable by the inspection routines then enforced by Canadian Pacific. [snip] > Because it was the middle of the night, there were few people at local radio stations, all operated by Clear Channel with mostly automated programming. No formal emergency warnings were issued for several hours while Minot officials located station managers at home. North Dakota's public radio network, Prairie Public Broadcasting, was notified and did broadcast warnings to citizens. And Minot is one of the bigger cities in North Dakota.