Overview
- Federal regulators confirmed a recent string of intrusions that injected actual or simulated EAS Attention Signals and alert tones before offensive content aired.
- ESPN 97.5 in Houston was commandeered during a Dallas Cowboys broadcast, with listeners hearing repeated tones followed by explicit material and a taunting promo.
- Virginia’s WVTF/Radio IQ reported its backup feed was hijacked, triggering an unauthorized loop when automation switched from the main channel after dead air.
- The FCC says threat actors are compromising improperly secured Barix devices used in studio‑to‑transmitter links and stresses that the national EAS backbone was not breached.
- Guidance urges stations to remove direct internet exposure, replace default passwords, apply firmware updates, restrict remote access, audit logs, and report incidents to the FCC and the FBI’s IC3.