Jimmy Kimmel: the joke that cost his comedy show $ 350,000

The comedy program of famed comedian and television host Jimmy Kimmel was fined $ 395,000 for imitating the sound of a live presidential alert.

The show aired on October 3 of last year, the day
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, for its acronym in English), has made a
pilot test with this system all over the country.

That day, more than 200 million US cell phones received a "presidential alert" test notification on their screens while a serious beep sounded.

The purpose of the alert is to prevent serious threats such as missile attacks, terrorist acts or natural disasters.

In a scene of
Jimmy Kimmel Live !, which can be seen on the ABC network, has sounded the alert three times – which is illegal – to make fun of him.

By simulating the alert tone, Jimmy Kimmel's program has breached broadcast standards, said the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), the US television regulatory agency.

According to FCC rules, the media is prohibited from imitating the alert system "to avoid confusion when tones are used, to avoid listeners' fatigue and false alarms".

ABC admitted to having transmitted the alert on October 3, 2018, but said it had made the impression that "the use of the tone was allowed".

This was not the only fine

But he promised not to broadcast the episode stating that compliance with the regulations is taken "seriously".

Another program fined for the same reason is the series "The Walking Dead" which uses the sound of the alert twice in a chapter aired in February.

In this case, AMC, the channel that held the emission rights at that time, had to pay $ 104,000.

What is the scene of the program?

The parody of the presidential alert was included in a short video that imitated the excesses of a Hollywood film.

We saw a family crossing a city by car "every day".

Parents talk about the weather, while at the back, kids are fighting for something.

"You will not believe what Trump just tweeted," the father tells the mother during the sound of the presidential alert.

And with a scary background music, the woman responds: "Twitter? I thought we had it stuck [a Trump]?

Everyone panics when they realize that "Trump has sent them an SMS" and can reach them even if they block it on social media.

In case of national emergency, it is the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who is responsible for giving the order to the agency to activate the system.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) can be sent by state and local public safety officials, the National Meteorological Service, the National Center for Missing Children and the President of the United States.

They look like text messages, but they are designed to alert people with unique sound and vibration.