ALERT FM Gains Support of New Jersey and Missouri State Broadcast Associations for its FM Radio-Based Personal Alert Messaging System

ALERT FM will Operate its System at the FEMA Booth during NAB

Las Vegas, NV – April 7, 2010 – 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 the existing FM data subcarrier known as Radio Data Service (RDS), ALERT FM allows local, state and national Emergency Managers to deliver emergency alert messages to any electronic device with an FM receiver, including those that are wireless or mobile.

“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,” noted Paul Rotella, President and Chief Executive Officer, 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, Federal Communications Commission (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 Don Hicks, President and Chief Executive Officer, 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.”

“We are grateful to Paul and Don for their support of FM radio-based emergency alerts in their respective states of New Jersey and Missouri,” said TJ Lambert, Chief Operating Officer, ALERT FM.  “By advocating the accessibility of FM on an extensive array of devices, including those that are mobile, radio can continue to make a difference in the lives of the people in the markets they serve.”

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 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, April 11 to 15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in Booth C2052. 

For more information, contact ALERT FM at 601-709-4240 or visit www.alertfm.com.

About ALERT FM:

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Global Security Systems (GSS), and other radio industry stakeholders continue to pursue multiple avenues for expanding the availability of FM radio service in cellular handsets, including direct discussions with cellular operators regarding market-based steps. NAB also works to educate Capitol Hill, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the public benefits of deploying FM radio in cell phones, such as expanding the reach of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to mobile devices, and furthering the goals of the WARN Act of 2006, which directed commercial mobile service providers to voluntarily participate in an emergency warning system.

The advent of new technologies (i.e., integrated FM antennas, power-saving and low profile chipsets) has made inclusion of an FM radio in cell phones, MP3 players, emergency alert receivers such as GSS ALERT FM, and other fixed/mobile consumer electronics devices, a technically feasible solution that will benefit consumers.  For alerting purposes in particular, FM radio’s nationwide and redundant coverage provides the ideal vehicle for delivery of the in-depth, critical information needed by the public during times of emergency or disaster which only broadcasters can provide.  The more targeted, data-based alerting services provided by GSS and other providers which make use of Radio Data System (RDS) FM subcarrier technology likewise benefit from the ubiquitous nature of FM radio.

Media Contact:
Renee Cassis
646-808-6505
cassis2@msn.com

NJ-Missouri PR - v.7.doc (28.50 kb)