FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 24, 2000
For more information, contact
Mary Hallow, MIX 101.5, 919-890-6103
John Goad, N.C. Center for Missing Children, 919-733-3557
Radio To Help Find Missing Children
Raleigh, NC — – According to a recent national study conducted by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, nearly three-quarters of the nation’s children who were abducted and murdered by strangers were dead within three hours from the time of the abduction. With that in mind, WRAL-FM is proud to be the first radio station in the Triangle to broadcast the North Carolina Child Alert Notification (NC CAN) System.
NC CAN will enable authorities to immediately notify listeners of a reported or suspected stranger abducted child in their area. A special alert signal (much like the Emergency Alert System tone) will be broadcast and followed by a description of the missing child, details of the abduction, abductor and vehicle information, and possible direction of travel. Listeners will then be provided with instructions on how to contact law enforcement if they think they may have information relevant to the case.
WRAL-FM will conduct a test of this system on Monday, March 27, 2000. The test will be the first step in educating the public about the system. WRAL-FM will also run public service announcements about the system. If a child is abducted and local authorities activate the system, listeners will be familiar with what they are hearing and realize the importance of the announcement.
WRAL-FM has entered into this voluntary agreement between local police and sheriff’s departments in conjunction with the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons, a section of the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. Often the best efforts of law enforcement are not enough to capitalize on the small window of opportunity to find abducted children. The law enforcement community must depend on the eyes and ears of concerned citizens to provide a vital link in the effort to find these children while they are still alive. With that in mind, the North Carolina Child Alert Notification system (NC CAN) was formed.
Other North Carolina radio broadcasters will be encouraged to implement the system at their stations. WRAL-FM will play a key role in soliciting involvement of Triangle radio stations. With everyone’s cooperation, radio will be a vital tool used by law enforcement in finding abducted or missing children.
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAL-Digital, WRAL-FM, Microspace, the North Carolina News Network, DTV Plus, Wolfpack Sports Marketing, and Capitol Sports Management in Raleigh, NC; WJZY-TV and WFVT-TV in Charlotte, NC; WILM-TV in Wilmington, NC; WRAZ-TV and the Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, NC; and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball Club in Myrtle Beach, SC; Capitol Broadcasting Company also founded Local TV on Satellite in Raleigh, NC.
