This is Only A Test

Something strange happens with the Emergency Broadcast System on my TV. Every so often, like most places, there is a test of the system with annoying beeping that never occurs during a commercial. It always appears to be a successful test.
Then one day I was watching TV and the emergency signal sounds and the incoming message screen appears. But instead of telling me the message, it switched my channel over to CSPAN. This would be great if something vital was happening on CSPAN, but it wasn’t! There was no breaking news, no national crisis. Just senators shuffling around plotting new ways to waste our money. No problem, I figured, I’ll just change back to the show I was watching. NAY. I even thought the remote batteries had died so I tried to use the cable box to change the channel. It was stuck there for almost an hour.
I’m happy to report, the system has been improved! Last night, I heard the emergency signal and a message on the screen said that they were interrupting the program to tell give WA’s equivalent of an Amber Alert. No problem, this is important news considering how close we are to the border. So I wait... and wait.. nothing. No audio. No scrolling text to tell you anything about who was kidnapped or where. No info on the person they’re with or the vehicle. Nothing. And then it switched to CSPAN.
Good job, Washington! We’re getting there one step at a time. First we let people know there is an emergency, the we improve the system to let people know what type of emergency. Before we know it, we’ll actually be able to receive real time emergency info on our TVs (like hey, that volcano is erupting RUN FOR YOUR LIVES.) We’re so progressive. Sigh.