EAS System Tested

The nation's Emergency Alert System will be activated for the first time this afternoon to determine if it works as designed.

The test will occur at 1 p.m. this afternoon, if everything goes as planned. Minnesota radio and TV stations will participate including KLKS.

The President of the MN Broadcasters Association, Jim du Bois says it will be a little different than the tests aired on a weekly basis, and should cause little concern.  The free over-the-air broadcast stations will make it clear it is only a test.  The worry is that some cable companies may not have the capacity to alert viewers that it is only a test.

The 1 p.m. test will last 30 seconds.