Emergency broadcast tested

THE STATE’S radio and television airwaves fell silent early yesterday morning as part of a Government exercise on broadcasting urgent messages to the nation.

At 4.45am, the Department of Communications carried out a 30-second engineering test on all television and radio channels, the first time such a test has been done in Ireland. The four terrestrial broadcasters, regional broadcasters, all national radio channels and the 25 local radio stations carried an announcement stating an engineering test was under way and normal programming would resume at the end of the test.

The exercise simulated the requirement of the Government and the emergency services to secure access to radio and TV platforms at short notice to broadcast across the State. It was the first time Government Buildings has been used to send such a message.

The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning regards broadcast media as the most efficient way to send emergency messages.

The Department of Communications said the timing was chosen to test the response times of the broadcasters, as most stations are unmanned early in the morning.