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August 2, 2022 5:46 pm  #1


Amber Alert Question

Just before 5:40 PM Tuesday, a not very informative Amber Alert went out on stations across Southern Ontario, interrupting regular programming. That's fine and it went fairly smoothly. But just out of curiosity, I switched between 1010 and 640 to see if both had it. They did. 

Here's the weird part. At the end of the alert, a voice came on 640 explaining that they were concluding this emergency alert. I then switched over to 1010, which was slightly behind its AM counterpart up the dial. The voice that explained the concluding alert was entirely different from the one that aired seconds earlier on 640. 

My question: how could that be? Are these alerts not issued from the same provider (Pelmorex) and shouldn't the announcer at the end be exactly the same? How is it possible that a different voice read the tag on each? 

I don't think I've ever noticed this before and I wonder if it happened on other stations as well. 

 

August 2, 2022 8:16 pm  #2


Re: Amber Alert Question

Assuming the system works more or less the same way north of the border as it does down here, it's only the actual alert part that comes via Pelmorex. It's sent with header and end tones that tell the local station what type of alert it is, who issued it, and so on. The voice you hear at the end? That's not part of the alert coming from Pelmorex. That's programmed and played out (or not) by each individual station at its own discretion. It's pretty easy to set up automation to get the EOM (end of message) from the alert decoder and then play out a specific audio file before returning to regular programming. 

 

August 2, 2022 10:27 pm  #3


Re: Amber Alert Question

That would explain it. I've never actually noticed it before, which is why it seemed so odd. Thanks for the solution!

     Thread Starter
 

August 3, 2022 10:07 am  #4


Re: Amber Alert Question

The alert message that is sent to stations is simply text.  The specialized and dedicated equipment at the station will interpret the message and act accordingly.  Each message contains specific geographic "polygon" data that is used to determine if the message is relevant to the particular stations coverage area. The message will contain an instruction that will trigger the broadcast equipment to insert the audio (and on-screen text in the case of TV) into the broadcast feed.  The audio can be a local text-to-voice translation of the text, or in many cases, a link to an MP3 file, stored on Amazon Cloud, can be downloaded and played.  The station can add their own audio if they wish.

The gear at the station is constantly listening for alert messages.  These messages can include general information, weather alerts and Amber alerts.  The messages are generated by local and regional police, Environment Canada, and other agencies across the entire country.  Each message is sent to Pelmorex and they act as the "aggregator" that then distributes them to broadcasters and cellular operators.  There can be hundreds such messages each day.  99.99% of them are ignored by the broadcast gear.

The format of the text message must be very specific so that the text-to speech software works properly.  As an example "911" must be sent as 9 1 1 otherwise it will be played as "nine hundred and eleven".

This particular Amber alert message (in its raw data form) can be found here:  https://alertsarchive.pelmorex.com/archive/2022-08-02/2022-08-02T21_36_56_94Iopp4da0d560-aa12-ed11-9115-0050569771cb_001.xml

The supplied MP3 audio can be found here:  https://s3.amazonaws.com/naadsttsfs-prod/opp4da0d560-aa12-ed11-9115-0050569771cb-en-CA.mp3

All alert messages can be found here:  https://alertsarchive.pelmorex.com/en.php

 

 

August 3, 2022 5:05 pm  #5


Re: Amber Alert Question

Is there an archive of the mp3 files?  I’m curious to learn more.

 

August 3, 2022 7:13 pm  #6


Re: Amber Alert Question

So thanks to both Mr. Fybush and In Phase, I decided to take a closer listen to these announcements when the tornado warning was issued on Wednesday. Interestingly, while both 640 and 1010 have, as noted, separate concluding statements as they return to regular programming, I turned on CBC Radio 1. They had the warning, but as soon as it ended, they went straight back to music, with no extro at all.

Even more bizarre, the warning came on CFTO during their 6 PM news, obliterating the story on the death of Clayton Ruby. But there were no interruptions at all on either Global or City TV when CTV's big red banner filled the screen. I thought these things were all coordinated so everyone went at about the same time. I guess not. 

     Thread Starter
 

August 3, 2022 8:54 pm  #7


Re: Amber Alert Question

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Is there an archive of the mp3 files? I’m curious to learn more.

There is no specific archive of MP3 files.  Each is automatically generated and assigned when an alert is dropped into the system.  The location of the file (on Amazon Web Services) is randomly generated, along with the MP3 file.  The location of the MP3 is then embedded within the message so broadcast gear can find it.
 

 

August 3, 2022 10:47 pm  #8


Re: Amber Alert Question

RadioActive wrote:

So thanks to both Mr. Fybush and In Phase, I decided to take a closer listen to these announcements when the tornado warning was issued on Wednesday. Interestingly, while both 640 and 1010 have, as noted, separate concluding statements as they return to regular programming, I turned on CBC Radio 1. They had the warning, but as soon as it ended, they went straight back to music, with no extro at all.

Even more bizarre, the warning came on CFTO during their 6 PM news, obliterating the story on the death of Clayton Ruby. But there were no interruptions at all on either Global or City TV when CTV's big red banner filled the screen. I thought these things were all coordinated so everyone went at about the same time. I guess not. 

I was listening to TSN's OverDrive show when the tornado alert blasted over Hayes and the guys chatting, and after it played, the conversation came back and there was no mention or acknowledgement of the interruption so who knows if they even knew their show was briefly taken over.

You'd think the powers that be could do a better job informing the public what to do during severe weather. Watch vs. warning (easy to confuse the two unless you use the handy key of 'watch out for the warning', what it means to"take shelter" is rarely explained, it's all just regularly spouted, pun intended, words to most people listening to the radio, or watching the news.

With a bit more effort, broadcasters could provide real safety advice and probably save a few lives while they're at it.

 

August 3, 2022 11:19 pm  #9


Re: Amber Alert Question

In London (where I am this week), Global aired an emergency alert for a tornado warning for Perth County just after 5:30. Tracey Tong even acknowledged an alert having just been on the screen a few seconds later when she threw over to Anthony Farnell, who went into more detail about the warning - so I assume it went to all Global CIII viewers.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (August 3, 2022 11:23 pm)

 

August 4, 2022 7:44 am  #10


Re: Amber Alert Question

MJ Vancouver wrote:

In London (where I am this week), Global aired an emergency alert for a tornado warning for Perth County just after 5:30. Tracey Tong even acknowledged an alert having just been on the screen a few seconds later when she threw over to Anthony Farnell, who went into more detail about the warning - so I assume it went to all Global CIII viewers.

I've seen a similar thing happen on CIII, which we receive here in the Ottawa Valley via Cogeco and, until not that long ago, the Bancroft-licensed ch. 2 analog OTA signal from Vennachar. My wife regularly watches/PVRs The Young & The Restless, whose new episodes air on Global one weekday before they air on CBS, and on more than one occasion, we've seen severe weather warnings show up for a whole other part of the province... even Timmins! Pretty much wherever "Global Toronto" has OTA coverage is their AlertReady territory, likely because of something in their original licence.

 

August 4, 2022 5:12 pm  #11


Re: Amber Alert Question

betaylored wrote:

I was listening to TSN's OverDrive show when the tornado alert blasted over Hayes and the guys chatting, and after it played, the conversation came back and there was no mention or acknowledgement of the interruption so who knows if they even knew their show was briefly taken over.

You'd think the powers that be could do a better job informing the public what to do during severe weather. Watch vs. warning (easy to confuse the two unless you use the handy key of 'watch out for the warning', what it means to"take shelter" is rarely explained, it's all just regularly spouted, pun intended, words to most people listening to the radio, or watching the news.

With a bit more effort, broadcasters could provide real safety advice and probably save a few lives while they're at it.

Don't forget they're also on TSN TV, so talking about this would be irrelevant for much of the TV audience. 

 

August 4, 2022 6:16 pm  #12


Re: Amber Alert Question

In Phase wrote:

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Is there an archive of the mp3 files? I’m curious to learn more.

There is no specific archive of MP3 files.  Each is automatically generated and assigned when an alert is dropped into the system.  The location of the file (on Amazon Web Services) is randomly generated, along with the MP3 file.  The location of the MP3 is then embedded within the message so broadcast gear can find it.
 

Alberta keeps an archive of all its alerts, including the associated MP3 files

https://emergencyalert.alberta.ca/alerts/2022/index.html

 

August 4, 2022 10:13 pm  #13


Re: Amber Alert Question

torontostan wrote:

betaylored wrote:

I was listening to TSN's OverDrive show when the tornado alert blasted over Hayes and the guys chatting, and after it played, the conversation came back and there was no mention or acknowledgement of the interruption so who knows if they even knew their show was briefly taken over.

You'd think the powers that be could do a better job informing the public what to do during severe weather. Watch vs. warning (easy to confuse the two unless you use the handy key of 'watch out for the warning', what it means to"take shelter" is rarely explained, it's all just regularly spouted, pun intended, words to most people listening to the radio, or watching the news.

With a bit more effort, broadcasters could provide real safety advice and probably save a few lives while they're at it.

Don't forget they're also on TSN TV, so talking about this would be irrelevant for much of the TV audience. 

good point about TSN, still lots of room for improvement the way radio and television covers severe weather

 

August 4, 2022 10:37 pm  #14


Re: Amber Alert Question

Forward Power wrote:

MJ Vancouver wrote:

In London (where I am this week), Global aired an emergency alert for a tornado warning for Perth County just after 5:30. Tracey Tong even acknowledged an alert having just been on the screen a few seconds later when she threw over to Anthony Farnell, who went into more detail about the warning - so I assume it went to all Global CIII viewers.

I've seen a similar thing happen on CIII, which we receive here in the Ottawa Valley via Cogeco and, until not that long ago, the Bancroft-licensed ch. 2 analog OTA signal from Vennachar. My wife regularly watches/PVRs The Young & The Restless, whose new episodes air on Global one weekday before they air on CBS, and on more than one occasion, we've seen severe weather warnings show up for a whole other part of the province... even Timmins! Pretty much wherever "Global Toronto" has OTA coverage is their AlertReady territory, likely because of something in their original licence.

I believe in their license they're a regional station, not a Toronto station.  I think they were, or are, limited in how much local Toronto advertising can be shown.   

 

August 5, 2022 5:56 am  #15


Re: Amber Alert Question

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Forward Power wrote:

MJ Vancouver wrote:

In London (where I am this week), Global aired an emergency alert for a tornado warning for Perth County just after 5:30. Tracey Tong even acknowledged an alert having just been on the screen a few seconds later when she threw over to Anthony Farnell, who went into more detail about the warning - so I assume it went to all Global CIII viewers.

I've seen a similar thing happen on CIII, which we receive here in the Ottawa Valley via Cogeco and, until not that long ago, the Bancroft-licensed ch. 2 analog OTA signal from Vennachar. My wife regularly watches/PVRs The Young & The Restless, whose new episodes air on Global one weekday before they air on CBS, and on more than one occasion, we've seen severe weather warnings show up for a whole other part of the province... even Timmins! Pretty much wherever "Global Toronto" has OTA coverage is their AlertReady territory, likely because of something in their original licence.

I believe in their license they're a regional station, not a Toronto station.  I think they were, or are, limited in how much local Toronto advertising can be shown.   

CIII-TV/DT’s license was amended in 2009 to allow the station to broadcast local ads in Toronto, and to change the originating station from the Paris transmitter to the Toronto one. This also resulted in the station rebranding from Global Ontario to Global Toronto. The station also got to keep its transmitter network, so that probably explains why anyone watching Global Toronto anywhere in Ontario gets specific alerts from across the province.


https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-409.htm

 

August 6, 2022 12:27 am  #16


Re: Amber Alert Question

ED1 wrote:

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Forward Power wrote:


I've seen a similar thing happen on CIII, which we receive here in the Ottawa Valley via Cogeco and, until not that long ago, the Bancroft-licensed ch. 2 analog OTA signal from Vennachar. My wife regularly watches/PVRs The Young & The Restless, whose new episodes air on Global one weekday before they air on CBS, and on more than one occasion, we've seen severe weather warnings show up for a whole other part of the province... even Timmins! Pretty much wherever "Global Toronto" has OTA coverage is their AlertReady territory, likely because of something in their original licence.

I believe in their license they're a regional station, not a Toronto station.  I think they were, or are, limited in how much local Toronto advertising can be shown.   

CIII-TV/DT’s license was amended in 2009 to allow the station to broadcast local ads in Toronto, and to change the originating station from the Paris transmitter to the Toronto one. This also resulted in the station rebranding from Global Ontario to Global Toronto. The station also got to keep its transmitter network, so that probably explains why anyone watching Global Toronto anywhere in Ontario gets specific alerts from across the province.


https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-409.htm

Thank you for that update.  I should've remembered that.