In fewer than 24 hours, Homeland Security will activate its very first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. According to FEMA’s site:

• It will be conducted Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 2:00 PM EST.
• It will be transmitted via television and radio stations within the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
• Similar to local emergency alert system tests, an audio message will interrupt television and radio programming indicating: “This is a test.”
• When the test is over, regular programming will resume.

All pretty straightforward. This is a pretty good reminder that most Americans actually do watch live TV and listen to the radio regularly. Meanwhile, I’ll be curious to see how quickly reports of the test hit Twitter tomorrow.