Names and faces

■ Jimmy Kimmel has learned an expensive lesson: don’t mess with the government’s emergency alert system. Kimmel’s network, ABC, was one of four media organizations fined by the Federal Communications Commission this week for improper use of the emergency signal that is sent over television, radio and mobile phones to warn people of danger like floods and fires. The $395,000 fine to ABC was by far the stiffest. FCC rules prohibit the use of the signal for any purpose other than an actual emergency. The idea is to prevent confusion, the agency said Friday. Kimmel used the signal three times as part of a skit on his show on Oct. 3, 2018. ABC has signed a consent decree agreeing to pay the fine and promised not to improperly use the emergency tones again, the FCC announced Thursday. AMC network agreed to pay a $104,000 fine for improper use of the signal in an episode of its most popular show, The Walking Dead, in February, the FCC said. Discovery’s Animal Planet was fined $68,000 when an actual emergency signal sent to a mobile phone was picked up by cameras during a filming session for its show, Lone Star Law. The show was filming Texas game wardens making rescues in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Los Angeles radio stations KDAY and KDEY were fined $67,000 for using the signal in show promotions.

■ Though Lil Nas X has broken chart records and become a streaming juggernaut with his breakout country rap hit “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus, the song faces an uphill challenge to get a nomination for a Country Music Association award. Ballots have gone out for nominations for the Country Music Association Awards, but some voters are struggling to decide how to recognize the musical phenomenon of the year, which has become the longest running No. 1 song in the history of Billboard’s Hot 100. Billboard decided “Old Town Road” wasn’t a country song and pulled it off country charts early on, but the song made enough of an impact anyway that it became eligible for a number of Country Music Association categories this year, including single of the year and song of the year. Country Music Association voters, which include musicians, producers, songwriters, touring professionals, country radio employees and others, vote in three ballots with the final nominations typically being announced in late August or early September. The award show will air Nov. 13. But there are already signs that the song isn’t getting wide support. It failed to get enough votes in the major song categories. The song earned only enough votes to be considered in the musical event category on the second ballot, which went out to voters Monday.

Lil Nas X

Kimmel