EAS Emergency Alert System on Dishnetwork?

Here it is 3:00 AM Central time USA and suddenly out of no where my TV screen went black. The all so familiar tones of The EAS (emergency alert sytem) came on. It went through the normal this is only a test routine while scrolling a message stating the same. What has my curiosity is that I have NEVER seen this on Dishnetwork before. The channel was 300 HBO right in the middle of the movie "Knocked Up".

Has anyone else ever seen this before on a channel that isn't a local channel?

I just find this some what disturbing, as it seems preparations are being made so as to alert on a large scale Nationally instead of the local or state level alert system.

Shout out some input, I am very interested to see what you all think.

I found this--it might be helpful:

www.tetonwyo.org...

Keep in mind that if you have satellite radio (such as XM Radio or Sirius Radio) or if you have satellite television (such as Direct TV or Dish Network) you will not receive local EAS messages. The only media that broadcast local EAS messages are local outlets, and only in the case of a national EAS activation would satellite radio or television broadcast EAS statements.

I believe the testing of the national system is done rarely, maybe a few times each year at most. When this happens, I suspect it would be broadcast across your Dish. This is probably what you've experienced.

The odd part about it all is that I am always up this hour with the TV on, and have never seen this before. I have had my dish for over a year now and do not ever recall seeing that except on local channels during midday. The only reason for national alert would be something on a scale of imaginable. What all reasons can you all think of that they would need a National Alert system?

The national level of EAS is mandated to be carried by those pay services. It has been that way since the first days of when satellite tv became available to the public and they carried the old national level EBS system.

www.fcc.gov is the place to find info about EAS.


Cheers!!!!

I am still wondering why we would need a national level of the EAS system. During 9/11 does anyone recall seeing the EAS system go off? The only things that should make a national system go off would have happened on that day unless I missed something.