How to turn off or at least mute those horrible severe weather alerts?

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@JLivermore wrote:

multiple threads of people complaining about this and no solution.  this is ridiculous.  they are super loud and happen all the time....  yes, i am already aware there'll be thunderstorms tonight.  don't need the constant heart attack reminders.

 

these can't be mandatory cuz they didn't happen with comcast.  which is way worse in every other respect but at least they didn't have these terrible useless panic alerts.

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Multiple threads from about 6 people.  I'm sorry, living in an area where thunderstorms can cause almost as much damage as a tornado doesn't bother me in the least.  Last week straight line winds from the thunderstorms reached 80MPH, today's thunderstorms in DFW weren't that severe, but the wind was strong enough to snap 6 trees in front of our office, blow down power lines and topple a traffic light.  So to say that they are useless is just asinine.  

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@robb0995 wrote:
Ah, but see your confusion seems to based in a belief that anybody cares whether you think they're worthwhile or not. Simple mistake.

This thread was a request for information how to turn them off, not an invitation to tell people their preferences are wrong.

I want you to have all the alerts your heart desires (and more), while those of us who hate them get to turn them off. See how freedom of choice works without everybody having to choose the same things you do? It's kind of a cool concept.

Sent from my iPhone

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In Texas anyway, it is a requirement that any cable provider with more than 5000 subscribers broadcast the alerts for the following: severe weather and natural situations such as:

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@oufanindallas wrote:

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@robb0995 wrote:
Ah, but see your confusion seems to based in a belief that anybody cares whether you think they're worthwhile or not. Simple mistake.

This thread was a request for information how to turn them off, not an invitation to tell people their preferences are wrong.

I want you to have all the alerts your heart desires (and more), while those of us who hate them get to turn them off. See how freedom of choice works without everybody having to choose the same things you do? It's kind of a cool concept.

Sent from my iPhone

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In Texas anyway, it is a requirement that any cable provider with more than 5000 subscribers broadcast the alerts for the following: severe weather and natural situations such as:

tornadoes, floods and flash floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves, severe thunderstorms, high winds, icing conditions, heavy snows, widespread fires, and man-made or technological situations such as: nuclear attack or war, industrial explosions, discharge of toxic or flammable gases, release of chemical, biological or radioactive agents, terrorist attacks, widespread powerfailures, civil disorders, and dam failures.”

 

So turning them off is not an option.

 

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Oh, eau contraire, dear OUFan.  There is a way of turning them off,  Disconnect the U-Verse system (or any cable system) completely.  Turn off any TV connected via antenna, so you would not hear alerts coming from the station.  Turn off all radios.  Put ear plugs in your ear holes, so you will not hear the sirens.  AND if thunderstorms aren't that serious, go play a round of golf with metal clubs only and always keep one above your head.  I guess I digressed a bit, huh?

@dhascall 

Well, a bit extreme, but yes you could do all that.

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@oufanindallas wrote:

@dhascall 

 

Well, a bit extreme, but yes you could do all that.

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And if one does that, @oufanindallas , I hope that they are in a cellar, lol.

So it may be a law that TV providers have to provide an alert.  Maybe nothing can be done there.  But certainly AT&T and other providers can choose the manner in which they broadcast the alert and allow user alterable settings such as volume control for the alerts.

I had dish network for years, in Texas, and don't remember any extremely loud alert broadcasts like AT&T.  They can control the method of broadcast and thusly control the volume.

I just wanted to join the OP in stating that the way it is currently implemented is outlandish.

Yes it serves a vital service, yes some of it is required by law. However the volume on these things in no way compares to any other EBS announcement I've ever heard anywhere in the country. When I had cable they weren't handled that way, nor when I had a sat dish in the same market. I even worked for both area cable companies (city & county) for years, including the master feed or "head-end"  -- and we were never mandated to blast people's speakers away. If this is required, why don't you see it from local cable, DishNet, or any other major carrier?

To max out the volume setting for monthly tests or real alers is insane, and no doubt it's doing some people harm by heightening anxiety levels needlessly - especially when there's no actual threat.

What are they testing so repeatedly, twice a week in some cases?  I've never seen a system test so often and active on any other platform. And no other platform tries to shock it's viewers into capitulation. That's the problem and that part is NOT mandated by any state or federal law. OP isn't saying abandom the EBS, just control the implementation in reasonably pragmatic ways.

It's so bad that it actually backfires - I don't think I've ever once read one of the actual alerts because the emergency in my house at the time is clearing it from the screen, all to silence a completely unneccessary bombardment of audio. I know I'm not alone in that, that's how crazy intrusive it is.

Of course it's a good system to have - but if its needlessly causing real trouble for people, they should at least examine alternative solutions. After all, people have had heart attacks from far less.