FOX is in some hot water with the Federal Communications Commission for a commercial that they ran in 2021. They have admitted to using the sound which amounted to just three seconds of audio. The tone of the emergency broadcast system was meant to get people to look up and pay attention the the commercial. It unfortunately got noticed by not just fans of the Super Bowl but also the FCC who is now attempting to fine FOX for its usage.
This occurred after Disney purchased FOX in one of the most complicated acquisitions in media history.
According to the FCC’s notice of apparent liability for forfeiture, FOX admitted to using the EAS tone for “a short comedic advertisement for an upcoming game, aired as part of the FOX NFL SUNDAY pre-game show” in November 2021.
“We find FOX responsible for broadcasting the Promotional Segment containing the EAS Tones on 18 of its owned-and-operated broadcast stations,” the FCC said. “Transmitting the Promotional Segment to 190 of its network affiliated television broadcast stations, and causing the transmission of the Promotional Segment on Fox Sports Radio and the Fox Sports on XM channel.”
The commercial had also been posted on YouTube but has subsequently been taken down. The regulator deemed Fox’s ad to be an “egregious” and “willful” violation of FCC rules. Because of the seriousness that is supposed to be recognized when a citizen of the United States hears it, they are looking to fine Fox $504,000.
