Well, the thread title about sums it up. My cable system (or local disaster-type folks - not sure who controls the tests) just broadcast a test of the Emergency Broadcast System, and over that annoying tone we all know and love Bible verses were being quoted.
I didn’t catch most of it, but did specifically catch a reference to tribulation and the 24th chapter of Matthew at the end. I don’t know much about the Bible, so I reviewed that chapter online. Maybe a learned Christian can help me out, but it seems to me that this chapter deals with the second coming of Christ.
I don’t see how this could have been a mistake. If it was intentional, I’m deeply offended that some evangelical wingnut is using this particular form of communication in an attempt to get me to confess all, repent, and be saved. I’m not sure what to do at this point - I’d love to complain, but who should I complain to? Anyone experience anything remotely similar?
Wow, that’s a fairly nasty reaction for a post asking for opinions, k2. Maybe you should take a break if you’re feeling so pissy you can’t control yourself.
Anyway, to the OP, I would call the cable company and ask them about it- I have a theory, though- do you have public access stations or other stations that show religious programming? I’m thinking that some signals may have been crossed and the audio for the bible show came through on the wrong channel or somesuch.
Zette - I had the same thought about the audio bleeding over from another channel. That’s probably what happened. It’s still worth a call to the cable company in the AM when I get home, however.
I think maybe I was just a little sensitive to this type of thing this morning. I’d had a rather heated conversation with a co-worker last night about evangelism and the degree to which some will go in an attempt to spread their faith. I came home, turned on the TV for some background noise while I cleaned house, and was struck by the coincidence.
Is anyone else having flashbacks to the Simpsons episode where they showed the powerplant status board flashing “Meltdown in progress: repent all sins”?
Gah! That’s freaky. And I’ll tell you why: When I was about 6 years old, I’d often fall asleep with the television on. I would invariably wake up to a scrambled signal that had weird-sounding test audio playing with the following speech looped: “This is a scramble test…(indecipherable)…” Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it; it was a hell of a thing to wake up to with such an immature mind. For this reason, EBS tests, unusual test patterns, and general rare transmissions either send chills up my spine or demand my undivided attention. Given the location, perhaps it was not a crossed signal at all, but rather some crafty and inspired CD employee making use of that CB mic’ looking thing that’s attached to the console?
That reminds me; don’t tell Chick about this! He’d have a ball making 30 second teleplays out of his most “beloved” tracts designed to fit inside of test transmissions and such…
You can’t change the channel when they do an emergency broadcast test on cable. They do it on all the channels at the same time. I never had christian bleed-over, but they frequently forget to END THE FRIGGIN’ TEST, so I can’t watch ANYTHING until they wake up from their nap and turn it off. Grrrrrr…
Joe K - Ouch. I was hoping nobody would ask what channel I had on. It was FOX. I’m so ashamed… Let’s keep the Jack Chick idea here on the board. I can’t imagine anything more creepy than being assailed with the twin terrors of that horrific warning tone and Chick Gone Mad in tandem.
I made a few calls this morning. The cable company claims no knowledge and has no explanation, nor does the local fire department. I live in a small suburb of OKC, and the local FD/EMS will sometimes break in with info during severe weather. Pretty cool - until I moved here I didn’t know they could target just one town with emergency announcements. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the locals was doing his religious duty, but guess I’ll never know.
Assuming it wasn’t interference, is that even legal? IANAL, nor a NE (network executive), but should any station be able to cover the alert test signal like that?
Was it channel 2-13 - this could explain over the air interference. Also if you keep your TV tuned to channel 3 or 4 to use the cable box the over the air broadcast might have been on that. Other then that I would say that either the EBS has a problem and it was a good thing that you alerted the cable co or the big guy upstairs is trying to tell you something and there ain’t nothing the cable company is going to be able to do about that.
Yeah, Dave, FOX here is broadcast over channel 12…I’m telling ya, they must have hamsters running the station sometimes, because the quality sometimes sucks…and I’ll bet the Friendly Candy Company would have something to say about the bleed itself (that is, if it was a bleed, and not some inspired CD employee), to second photopats query…
Yeah, Dave, FOX here is broadcast over channel 12…I’m telling ya, they must have hamsters running the station sometimes, because the quality sometimes sucks…and I’ll bet the Friendly Candy Company would have something to say about the bleed itself (that is, if it was a bleed, and not some inspired CD employee), to second photopats query…
Although, I am reminded of a story my dad told about watching TV one night and he heard a telephone conversation on some distant channel; the dialogue described a messy diaper incident.
