Broadcast Emergency Planning

Wisconsin has consistently been a leader in Broadcast Emergency Planning.

Wisconsin’s proud pioneering heritage:

Wisconsin had the first completed State EAS Plan back when EAS originated, which was then distributed as a template to all other states.
Wisconsin’s Amber Alert is one of the best-managed programs in the country, averaging only three Amber Alerts per year.
Wisconsin was the first state to launch Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC) Committees statewide.
Wisconsin is one of the first states to initiate a state-issued Broadcaster ID Card program, to help ensure our broadcast engineers’ access to their transmitters during disaster.

Follow the links on the left side of this page to learn more on our Broadcast Emergency Planning resources… and we have more programs under development, so visit this page often for updates.

WBA would like to acknowledge the cooperation and participation of all Wisconsin broadcasters in these programs, as well as the excellent working relationship we have with the National Weather Service, Wisconsin Emergency Management, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation, without whom these programs would not be possible.

UPDATE - October, 2007

The FCC has launched a program called the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which will aid stations in remaining on the air during a disaster. WBA encourages all member stations to avail themselves of this valuable program. Stations must pre-register on the DIRS website now, before a disaster occurs. For details, click on the DIRS link in the left column of this page.