If you've listened to the radio for even a modest number of hours, you've probably heard radio stations test their Emergency Broadcast System tone. The tone is supposed to play before news of a (usually weather-related) emergency. Only once have I heard the test fail. Decades ago, I remember hearing, "This is only a test," followed by silence.
The DJ on the air was caught off guard. "Well, I guess that's why we run these tests--to see if the emergency alert tone works. Now, we know that it doesn't. I'm not sure what happens next, but at least, we know this has to be fixed."
Would it be cruel and unusual punishment for a criminal who has been found guilty of a misdemeanor and deserves just slightly more than a slap on the wrist to have to sit in a room for an hour in which the only constant sound is the Emergency Broadcast System tone? I guess it would depend on the volume at which one has to listen to it.
