Editing Broadcast automation (section)

==History==
Originally, in the US, many (if not most) [[broadcast license|broadcast licensing]] authorities required a licensed [[board operator]] to run every station at all times, meaning that every [[DJ]] had to pass an exam to obtain a license to be on-air, if their duties also required them to ensure proper operation of the transmitter.  This was often the case on overnight and weekend [[shift work|shift]]s when there was no [[broadcast engineer]] present, and all of the time for small stations with only a contract engineer on call.

In the U.S., it was also necessary to have an operator on duty at all times in case the [[Emergency Broadcast System]] (EBS) was used, as this had to be triggered manually.  While there has not been a requirement to relay any other [[Warning system|warning]]s, any mandatory messages from the U.S. president would have had to first be [[Authentication|authenticated]] with a [[Code word (communication)|code word]] sealed in a pink envelope sent annually to stations by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).

Gradually, the quality and reliability of electronic equipment improved, regulations were relaxed, and no operator had to be present (or even available) while a station was operating.  In the U.S., this came about when the [[Emergency Alert System|EAS]] replaced the EBS, starting the movement toward automation to assist, and sometimes take the place of, the live [[disc jockey]]s (DJs) and [[radio personalities]]. in 1999, The Weather Channel launched Weatherscan Local, a cable television channel that broadcast uninterrupted live local weather information and forecasts. Weatherscan Local became [[Weatherscan]] in 2003 but was shut down in 2022.