Television and radio stations across the United States are scheduled to interrupt programming on Tuesday, Nov. 17, for a nationwide Emergency Alert System test. FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission plan to send it at about 2:20 p.m. Eastern, or 11:20 a.m. Pacific. The message will identify itself as a test, and the public does not need to take any action.
This test is for the system that carries warnings through broadcasters and participating TV and radio providers. FEMA did not schedule a companion Wireless Emergency Alert, the system that sends warnings directly to compatible phones. The difference explains why you may hear an alert on a car radio or see one on television while your phone stays quiet.
When and where the test will appear
The same transmission is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. Central, 12:20 p.m. Mountain, 11:20 a.m. Pacific, 10:20 a.m. in most of Alaska and 9:20 a.m. in Hawaii. It is expected to last about one minute, according to the Harris County emergency management notice. December 3 is the backup date if a major event forces FEMA to postpone the test.
The FEMA bulletin lists broadcast television and radio, cable, satellite radio and television, and wireline video providers among the participants. What you see or hear depends on the provider. A radio station relays audio. A TV service can carry audio, on-screen text or both. Broadcasters may transmit in English, Spanish or both. Normal programming resumes when the test ends.
If you’re watching a show on demand, the app may keep playing. FEMA’s list describes the participating broadcast and pay-TV systems. Whether a particular live channel carried through an app displays the message can depend on how that service gets its feed. There’s no need to change channels or turn on a radio to take part.
Why your phone may stay quiet
North Dakota’s emergency management agency distinguishes the Emergency Alert System from Wireless Emergency Alerts. The first can interrupt a station or participating TV service. The second can reach compatible phones in an affected area, including when a person has no television or radio on. A phone playing a station’s live stream might still carry the station’s audio. That would come from the program you’re listening to.
The distinction is easy to miss if you remember the October 2023 test. FEMA tested both systems that day, sending a wireless alert to phones and a separate message through broadcast and other participating services. The Nov. 17 plan calls for an Emergency Alert System test only. A quiet phone during that test gives you no information about whether it can receive a future wireless warning.
What the test checks
FEMA sends a single national test message, and participating services relay it to their audiences. The exercise lets FEMA and the FCC see how well that chain works across different stations and providers. The FCC also requires participants to report their test results. Those filings give the agencies a way to see which stations received the message and which relayed it. The test uses the same equipment that participating stations rely on to interrupt ordinary programming during a real emergency. Harris County says FEMA is required by law to test the public alert and warning system nationwide at least once every three years.
The message will say that it is only a test and that the public does not need to act. If you hear those words during the scheduled broadcast, you can let it finish and return to what you were doing. A real warning gives instructions for the affected area. Follow those instructions if a separate emergency alert arrives that day.
