COUNTY NEWS ON THE DIAL
Monday, October 20, 2008
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hudson County will get its emergency notification radio station after all.

County Executive Tom DeGise announced Friday that the Federal Communications Commission has approved a travelers information station to be operated on the AM dial by the county Office of Emergency Management.

DeGise credited U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg with helping the county "work its way through the federal regulatory forest that comes with seeking approval for this kind of emergency government broadcast channel."

"Without the support of Frank Lautenberg, this station that will keep our residents safer in an emergency and better informed regarding local matters would never have become a reality," DeGise said in a news release.

The radio station, which will broadcast out of the OEM office in Secaucus and the soon-to-open County Plaza building in Jersey City, will complement an $800,000 system of sirens currently being installed throughout the county.

Officials said they will launch an informational campaign to make residents aware that if they hear the sirens, they should tune into the station.

Its spot on the dial has not been disclosed, but the station should be up and running within three months, said OEM Coordinator Jack Burns.

County officials had feared that a large proposed station in Rockland County, N.Y., would drown out any local broadcast. That application is still pending and could still present a conflict if approved, Burns said.

The county's new station will also be used to make community announcements, but cannot be used for political or commercial purposes, he said.

The $140,000 tab of installing it is being covered by federal homeland security grants.

"We believe communication is a key element to successfully dealing with an emergency or natural disaster," Burns said. "We are grateful for the county executive's leadership and Sen. Lautenberg's aggressive actions on this issue."

?2008 Jersey Journal
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