Dear Residents Of Tuscumbia, Alabama... You're Not Being Invaded.

Kevin

Code Monkey
Staff member
Really, Alabama? In 2013 your residents are still freaking out over fake radio broadcasts about alien invasions? And do you really think aliens landing in Alabama would be conducting tests on what types of music you like to listen to?

Nevermind.gif


From the local Tuscubmia, Alabama, Times Daily newspaper...

The programming director at Shoals Radio Group said he is puzzled over how a promotion for a local radio station managed to excite many students and parents into believing bombs would be exploding Thursday at area schools.

Rumors of school safety being in jeopardy steadily increased after the promotion began Monday. The promotional broadcasts were to bring attention to a format change at Star 94.9. The rumors prompted some parents to keep their children at home Thursday instead of attend class as usual. Police and school officials increased patrols in schools in an attempt to ease fears.

No problems were reported at any school in the Shoals.

Shoals Radio Group owns Star 94.9.

“We certainly apologize, but we had no intention to cause any problems or create concerns about schools,” said Brian Rickman, regional director of programming for the radio group. “We are truly taken back by how out of context this has been taken. We could not have foreseen this happening.”

The promotion, which will end today with the announcement of a format change, is built around the premise that aliens have taken over the radio station’s frequency and are trying to figure out what type music appeals to humans.

Star 94.9 has operated with a Top 40 music format.

Rickman said none of the promotions “even remotely hint that schools are going to be attacked and there is no mention of bombs.”

He said the station has fielded dozens of calls. Local school and law enforcement officials have heard from concerned parents and students, too.

Some school officials have called the promotion a hoax and said it was in bad taste considering society’s heightened sensitivity to school violence.

Mary Kate Smith, superintendent of Tuscumbia schools, said the number of high school students who missed classes Thursday was up slightly. She said 27 students were absent at the start of classes, but 13 of those checked in later in the day. Smith, who said there typically are eight or 10 students absent on most days, said the increase is likely related to the radio promotion.

“I had one parent who called this morning,” Smith said. “I assured her everything was OK.”

She said everything went as planned at city schools.

“This was obviously a light-hearted thing,” Rickman said. “A lot of people got it, but some didn’t. We started this on Monday and we had gone from about 1,400 likes to nearly 6,000 when I checked our Facebook page that night. At first, we were pleased and then I knew we had a problem when I started reading the messages from people wanting to know why we were broadcasting a bomb threat. It made no sense.

“It’s strictly radio theater. All we can figure is that some kid posted something on Facebook and it went viral from there. This is not the kind of publicity we wanted.”
 
first they invade our air space...then they mutilate our cattle...now our radio stations...
what will those evil alien beings do NEXT???
 
Back
Top