ABC Fined by FCC for Emergency Alert Tone Use On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

ABC has been fined $395,000 for misuse of the emergency alert tone in a sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

  • The sketch, which originally aired last October, was a trailer for a fake movie called “The Textening” poking fun at President Trump’s national wireless emergency alert test and used the Emergency Alert System (EAS) tone three times.
  • FCC rules state that EAS tones may only be used in the event of an actual emergency and misuse is a public safety concern.
  • Other shows, including AMC’s The Walking Dead, and Discovery’s Lone Star Law were also fined for uses of the EAS tone.

What They’re Saying:

  • ABC spokesperson (to THR): “ABC takes regulatory compliance seriously and we are pleased to have resolved this issue.”
  • FCC spokesperson: “These rules aim to protect the integrity of the alert system by helping to avoid confusion when the tones are used, alert fatigue among listeners, and false activation of the EAS by the operative data elements contained in the alert tones."