Press Release

CHANTILLY, VA & RYE BROOK, NY - January 7, 2010 - SpectraRep® LLC and Sage Alerting Systems, Inc. today announced that they are jointly demonstrating delivery of enhanced emergency alert messages to HD Radio receivers at the iBiquity booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES®) 2010 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall Booth #9034.

The demonstration is intended to emphasize the suitability of HD Radio technology as an ancillary capability for public alert and warning, public safety, campus emergency communications and other emergency communications purposes.

The demonstration marks several engineering firsts, including:

• The first public demonstration of interoperability between the SpectraRep AlertManager™ system and the Sage Digital ENDEC™. 

• The first public demonstration of emergency messaging received by both home and portable HD Radio receivers.

For this demonstration, emergency alert messages are originated and routed with the SpectraRep AlertManager emergency notification system, and the Sage Digital ENDEC processes and delivers the authenticated alerts into the HD Radio infrastructure.  HD Radio AM/FM receivers receive and present the geo-targeted alerts, with audio and expanded multi-lingual text displays.

The demonstration illustrates a combined technology platform using the SpectraRep AlertManager and Sage Digital ENDEC solutions that enable broadcasters to offer emergency information to the general public, as well as to targeted populations, such as first responders, government agencies, or individuals with special needs or in specific geographic areas.  The CES demonstration employs a series of home and portable HD Radio AM/FM receivers.  The emergency messages transmitted in the system – from origination through display – utilize the Common Alerting Protocol (version 1.2) as well as the CAP-to-EAS implementation profile provided by the EAS-CAP Industry Group (ECIG).

“We are extremely pleased to collaborate with Sage and iBiquity in this demonstration," said Edward Czarnecki, SpectraRep's Executive Vice President.  "This event not only demonstrates a significant level of interoperability, but more importantly, it demonstrates the willingness to work together to meet the need to deliver emergency alerts and information though new and diverse methods."

Harold Price, President of Sage Alerting Systems, said, “This demonstration shows how CAP and EAS can be deployed on new presentation platforms, providing additional methods for broadcasters to provide emergency information to the public.”

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About SpectraRep

SpectraRep® is a leading provider of services and applications for all-hazards emergency notification, emergency management, first responder and training applications.  AlertManager™ is a powerful emergency notification system used by federal, state and local government agencies for advanced interoperable alert and warning capabilities. In addition to its work in public safety and homeland security, SpectraRep works in partnership with broadcasters across the nation to provide solutions for distance education, digital signage and content delivery. SpectraRep is a subsidiary of BIA Financial Network, Inc., a premier financial and strategic advisory services firm that has served the media and communications industries for more than two decades. For more information about SpectraRep, visit www.spectrarep.com.

About Sage Alerting Systems

Sage is the leading provider of Emergency Alerting System devices to the broadcast industry. From its landmark Sage ENDEC that became the first FCC certified EAS device in the 1996, to the release of its latest network-enabled digital audio device, Sage leads the way in ease of use, reliability, and meaningful features that allow broadcasters and public safety agencies to get alerts out to the public in a rapid and predictable manner.  For more information about Sage, visit http://www.sagealertingsystems.com.