When The Walking Dead had to pay over 100k for using a siren noise

We don’t get many flashbacks on The Walking Dead; rather than show us the chaos that precipitated the zombie apocalypse (that’s more Fear the Walking Dead’s style), the tentpole AMC series is more about dealing with it.

That said, there have been some exceptions, like in the season 9 episode “Omega,” where we saw the beginning of the outbreak from the point of view of Lydia (Cassady McClincy), the daughter of Alpha (Samantha Morton) and Frank (Steve Kazee). This episode shows the family in a Baltimore shelter just as the apocalypse begins. In one of the scenes, a loud siren is heard on an emergency radio broadcast alerting survivors on what to do.

And while that loud siren made sense in the context of the show, it cost AMC over 100k.

The FCC fined The Walking Dead for using an emergency siren noise

Around six months after the episode aired, the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) slapped AMC with a fine of $104,000 for using a siren sound that was similar to the one used by the USA’s official Emergency Alert System (EAS), which lets people know about emergencies; generally it’s more on the order of tornados that zombie apocalypses, but there’s a first time for everything.

Why is there a prohibition on using this particular siren noise on TV? The FCC reasons that it could cause confusion and make people wonder if there’s an actual emergency going on, or else cause “alert fatigue,” where people will hear the siren on TV or in movies and then not take it seriously when a real emergency comes along.

Luckily, The Walking Dead actually got off lightly with a $104,000 fine. Shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS’s Young Sheldon have hit been with $395,000 and $272,000 fines respectively for using similar loud siren noises.

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h/t Screen Rant