Why is it that before 9/11 they always showed the emergency broadcast system test, and on 9/11 they never used it?

hmmmm, I guess it happened so fast that by the time everyone realised what had just happened it was too late, besides arnt the radio/tv alerts for weather/ missing persons alerts.

Do you know they didn’t? I looked at your profile and it looks like you are from Texas. If you were in Texas at the time it would be silly to assume that they would have used it for you.

Long story short “You didn’t need it.”

The EBS was changed to the Emergency Alert System in 1997.

From wikipedia

On September 11, 2001, ”. . . the EAS was not activated nationally or regionally in New York or Washington during the terrorist attacks on the nation.” Richard Rudman, then chairman of the EAS National Advisory Committee explained that near immediate coverage in the national media meant that the media itself provided the warning or alert of what had happened and what might happen as quickly as the information could be distributed. “Some events really do serve as their own alerts and warnings. With the immediate live media coverage, the need for an EAS warning was lessened.” 34 PEP stations were kept on high alert for use if the President had decided to order an Emergency Action Notification. “PEP is really a last-ditch effort to get a message out if the president cannot get to the media.” [9]

like jp said, they didn’t need it.
I was home that day and the news coverage for it was on every channel.

Hmm, maybe there should be an emergency culturally worthwhile content system to override the corporate media when it goes nuts over-reporting something. It could be useful during outbreaks of meaningless news, or just as random counterattacks on particularly stupid channels.

to be honest with you….I thought the E.B.S was only used for the weather…..that’s the only time I have ever seen/heard them.