Like yelling fire in a crowded theater, it is apparently very illegal to use emergency alerts on television when there’s no emergency. The Federal Communications Commission has issued Turner Broadcasting, owners of cable channel TBS, a $25,000 fine over a Conan promo from April 2012, which used “emergency weather tones to gain attention for a commercial regarding Jack Black being on the show.” In a statement, the FCC’s chief said that “this activity not only undermines the very purpose of a unique set of emergency alert sounds, but it is a clear violation of the law.”
