ABC chiefs have apologized for flouting U.S. Federal Communications Commission rules, while AMC has faced similar penalty for the alert tone usage in an episode of 'The Walking Dead'.
- August 17, 2019
AceShowbiz - Jimmy Kimmel has earned his network bosses a $395,000 (£326,000) fine by mimicking a presidential crisis alert on his talk show.
ABC show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" replicated the presidential emergency alert tone, which is only meant to be used to alert Americans to a disaster, three times during a sketch mocking the warning system.
The programme aired on 3 October (18), the same day the alert was officially trialled nationwide. As part of the trial, the alert was sent to more than 200 million U.S. mobile phones. It is meant to warn of major threats such as missile attacks, natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
In a statement, ABC chiefs apologised for flouting U.S. Federal Communications Commission rules and told the BBC they take "regulatory compliance seriously and we are pleased to have resolved this issue."
In the event of an American national emergency, President Donald Trump would press the button ordering the agency to activate the warning system.
Bosses at U.S. network AMC were also fined $104,000 (£86,000) for an alert tone that aired during an episode of "The Walking Dead".
