Radio emergency alert performance can be measured by whether broadcasters receive an alert and whether they retransmit it. FCC nationwide test results show that radio performance improved between 2019 and 2023, while low-power stations remained below the broader radio-broadcaster averages.
Table of contents
- Nationwide EAS results over time
- Radio broadcaster receipt and retransmission
- Low-power radio and television stations
- How alerts reached broadcasters
- Participation and reporting coverage
- Alert language delivery on radio
Nationwide EAS results over time
The nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) tests provide a repeated national snapshot of alert distribution. The participant counts changed from test to test, so the percentages are most useful for comparing receipt and retransmission performance within each test period.
| Test date | Participants | Alert received | Alert retransmitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 27, 2017 | 19,069 | 95.8% | — |
| October 3, 2018 | 19,155 | 95.7% | 92.1% |
| August 7, 2019 | 19,607 | 84.3% | 81.5% |
| August 11, 2021 | 18,524 | 89.3% | 87.1% |
| October 4, 2023 | 19,235 | 96.6% | 93.6% |
The 2023 nationwide test included 19,235 participants. Of those, 18,582 successfully received the alert, producing a 96.6% receipt rate. A total of 17,998 successfully retransmitted it, producing a 93.6% retransmission rate. These figures come from the FCC’s Report: October 4, 2023 Nationwide EAS Test.
The 2021 test included 18,524 participants. It recorded 16,535 successful alert receipts, or 89.3%, and 16,126 successful retransmissions, or 87.1%. The FCC reported these results in its Report: August 11, 2021 Nationwide EAS Test.
The 2019 test included 19,607 participants. Successful receipt totaled 16,532, or 84.3%, while successful retransmission totaled 15,986, or 81.5%. The results are reported in the FCC’s August 7, 2019 Nationwide EAS Test.
Earlier tests reported higher overall receipt rates than 2019. On October 3, 2018, 19,155 participants recorded a 95.7% receipt success rate and a 92.1% retransmission success rate. On September 27, 2017, 19,069 participants recorded a 95.8% receipt success rate. The 2018 figures are from the Report: October 3, 2018 Nationwide WEA and EAS Test, and the 2017 figure is from the Report: September 27, 2017 Nationwide EAS Test. The source reports document each test separately; the differences should not be treated as a controlled year-over-year experiment.
Radio broadcaster receipt and retransmission
Radio-specific results show a similar pattern, with the strongest reported performance in the 2023 test. The 2023 test covered 13,631 radio broadcasters. Of these, 13,226 successfully received the alert, a 97.0% receipt rate. A total of 12,902 successfully retransmitted it, a 94.7% retransmission rate. These are results for the October 4, 2023 test documented by the FCC report.
The 2021 test covered 13,320 radio broadcasters. Successful receipt was reported for 11,828 broadcasters, or 88.8%, and successful retransmission for 11,586, or 87.0%. In the 2019 test, 13,940 radio broadcasters were covered; 11,782 successfully received the alert, or 84.5%, and 11,501 retransmitted it, or 82.5%.
| Test date | Radio broadcasters covered | Receipt rate | Retransmission rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 7, 2019 | 13,940 | 84.5% | 82.5% |
| August 11, 2021 | 13,320 | 88.8% | 87.0% |
| October 4, 2023 | 13,631 | 97.0% | 94.7% |
The 2019 and 2021 radio results are reported in the FCC’s 2019 test report and 2021 test report. In each of these tests, retransmission was lower than receipt. That distinction matters for broadcasting guides: a station can detect the incoming alert but still fail to pass it through successfully.
Low-power radio and television stations
Low-power broadcasters had lower reported success rates than the overall radio-broadcaster group in the 2023 test. The test included 852 low-power FM (LPFM) broadcasters, of which 768 successfully received the alert. That was a 90.1% receipt rate. The LPFM retransmission rate was 84.7%, with 722 stations retransmitting successfully.
The same 2023 test reported a 91.5% receipt rate and an 82.4% retransmission rate for low-power television (LPTV) broadcasters. The FCC’s 2023 nationwide EAS test report gives the LPFM and LPTV results.
The 2021 results were lower for both low-power categories. The test included 954 LPFM broadcasters, with a 78.8% receipt rate and a 73.5% retransmission rate. LPTV broadcasters recorded an 85.7% receipt rate and an 80.6% retransmission rate. Those measurements appear in the FCC’s 2021 test report.
The supplied FCC results quantify performance for the test dates and categories shown here. They do not establish why one low-power group or test year performed differently from another, and they do not provide a station-by-station diagnosis.
How alerts reached broadcasters
The 2023 results distinguish between alerts first received through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and alerts first received over the air. Across all test participants reporting a source, 63.6% first received the alert from IPAWS and 36.4% first received it over the air.
Among 12,631 radio broadcasters reporting a source, 7,848 first received the alert from IPAWS. The radio-broadcaster split was 62.1% from IPAWS and 37.9% over the air. Television broadcasters had a different split: 70.6% first received the alert from IPAWS and 29.4% over the air. These figures are from the FCC’s October 4, 2023 report.
The source mix changed in the earlier reports. In 2018, 58.7% of all test participants reporting a source first received the alert from IPAWS and 41.3% first received it over the air. For radio broadcasters, the corresponding split was 57.0% from IPAWS and 43.0% over the air. In that test, 11,688 radio broadcasters reported a source, including 6,657 that first received the alert from IPAWS.
In 2017, 41.9% of all participants first received the alert from IPAWS and 58.1% over the air. Among radio broadcasters, 42.6% first received it from IPAWS and 57.4% over the air. A total of 11,155 radio broadcasters reported a source, including 4,749 first receiving the alert from IPAWS. The 2018 and 2017 source figures are documented in the 2018 FCC report and 2017 FCC report.
Participation and reporting coverage
Performance rates describe only participants that took part and reported the relevant test information. The FCC estimated 25,306 EAS Participants in the United States and its territories at the time of the October 4, 2023 test. The 2023 EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) received 25,805 filings, including 20,682 unique filings.
The resulting unique-filing participation rate was 81.7% for the nationwide EAS test. Radio broadcasters had an 85.1% unique-filing participation rate, compared with 74.5% for television broadcasters and 73.8% for cable systems. Radio broadcasters accounted for 17,404 filings and 14,780 unique filings in the 2023 ETRS. Television broadcasters accounted for 3,763 filings and 3,002 unique filings.
The FCC also reported that 89.3% of test participants completed ETRS Forms One, Two and Three in 2023, compared with 87.8% in 2021. These participation and reporting figures are from the Report: October 4, 2023 Nationwide EAS Test, with the comparison period identified as August 11, 2021.
Because participation and reporting coverage are not identical to the number of licensed or estimated participants, the results should be read as reported test outcomes. A receipt percentage is not a measurement of every radio listener’s experience, and it does not estimate the share of the public that heard an alert.
Alert language delivery on radio
The 2018 test report also separated radio alert results by language. Radio broadcasters reported receiving 11,548 English-only alerts, 65 Spanish-only alerts, and 54 English-and-Spanish alerts on October 3, 2018.
For retransmission, radio broadcasters reported 11,230 English-only alerts, 103 Spanish-only alerts, and 18 English-and-Spanish alerts. The source reports these as counts of reported alert receipts and retransmissions, not as audience counts or a measure of language preference.
The language figures show that English-only alerts made up the largest reported category in that test: 11,548 receipts and 11,230 retransmissions. Spanish-only receipts totaled 65, while Spanish-only retransmissions totaled 103. English-and-Spanish alerts totaled 54 receipts and 18 retransmissions. These measurements are from the Report: October 3, 2018 Nationwide WEA and EAS Test, and they apply specifically to that test period.