Nationwide emergency alert test will break into TV and radio around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday

Television and radio audiences in Richardson will hear or see a test alert early Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 17, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission run a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System.

The test is set for about 1:20 p.m. Central time, according to a notice the city posted Friday.

What residents will notice

The test message will be relayed by radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and TV providers and wireline video providers, the participants in the Emergency Alert System. Depending on the provider, it may come through as audio, as text on the screen or as both, and normal programming picks back up once it ends.

The city's notice describes a test of the broadcast and cable system only; it does not mention phone alerts.

Why it happens

FEMA is required by law to test the national public alert and warning system at least once every three years, the city said. The exercise lets the agency check how participating broadcasters and other providers receive the national test message and pass it along, and whether the equipment they use to relay emergency messages is ready.

FEMA has posted more information about the 2026 nationwide test on its website, which the city links from its notice.

Sources

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