Remember that brief moment of icy fear that went down your spine every time you heard the start of an Emergency Broadcast System test? Well for United States audiences on Feb. 20, 1971, it seemed as ...

Growing up, the Emergency Broadcast System was a kind of sonic boogeyman. Its signature harsh tone would cut through your favorite TV show or song on the radio, announcing that “THIS IS ONLY A TEST”.

SEATTLE — In an effort to improve its emergency communications network and mass communication capabilities, the University of Washington (UW) installed 24 Talk-A-Phone emergency phone towers across ...