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WHUT(TV) Commits to Launching M-EAS

No activation date set for first Washington-area Mobile Emergency Alert System service

This article originally appeared in TV Technology.

Howard University’s WHUT(TV) is the first TV station serving the Washington, D.C. metro to commit to launching Mobile Emergency Alert System service. The announcement was made at an event marking the commercial launch of mobile DTV. WHUT, a Public Broadcasting Service member station, reaches around 2 million viewers. The mobile EAS system is designed to transmit rich-media formatted messages to devices that decode mobile DTV signals. It leverages the IP-centric ATSC M/H transmission standard to broadcast video, audio, photos and graphics in addition to text. Prototype LG mobile phones were used to demonstrate the service on Capitol Hill today.

Jefferi K. Lee, general manager of WHUT, said M-EAS was a “prime example of our strategic mission to serve the community… For better or worse, Washington D.C., is at the epicenter of emergencies from time to time, including both man-made events and natural disasters like the derecho storm and ‘Snowmaggedon.’ M-EAS, with its one-to-many broadcast architecture, will give area residents access to immediate alerts at home, at school, at work and on the go, event when the power’s out and the cell network is down.”

WHUT’s announcement follows a year-long pilot program involving several PBS member stations as well as KOMO(TV) in Seattle. WRAL(TV) in Raleigh, N.C., recently demonstrated M-EAS for local first responders. No timetable was given for the actual launch of the service at WHUT, which will be supported by LG Electronics, Harris and PBS.

Related:
Broadcasters Prepare for Mobile DTV Launch
WRAL-TV to Demo Mobile EAS

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