ABC fined $395,000 over presidential alert skit

ABC talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been fined $395,000 (£326,000) for mimicking a presidential alert on the programme, BBC News  reports, citing a US regulator.

The show replicated the alert tone three times, which is illegal, during a sketch mocking the warning system.

On the same day the programme aired, 3 October last year, the alert was officially tested nationwide.

As part of the trial, more than 200 million US mobile phones received a test "Presidential Alert" notification.

The alert system, which is designed to warn of major threats such as missile attacks, natural disasters and acts of terrorism, is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).

In the event of a national emergency, US President Donald Trump would be in charge of ordering the agency to activate the warning system.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) can be sent by state and local public safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as well as the president of the United States. They look like text messages, but are designed to alert people with a unique sound and vibration.