Except for the media part which is usually after the fact on the late afternoon news or early morning hours later. Real time would be nice. .
Some departments are VERY active on social media and services like Nixle. One agency near me is extremely pro-active and send out Nixle alerts for any incident that might affect a major roadway, crime scene, or public concern. No need to carry a radio at all. Just sign up for alerts pushed to a phone or email address. This is something modern public safety dispatch centers, IMO, SHOULD look at doing. Sure it is more work, but it will also cut down on calls to non-emergency lines (which often are answered by the same calltakers and dispatchers as E911 lines in many places). It also creates and enhances relations with the public the agency serves.
But it is a cultural shift that public safety should migrate to. People want to be informed and expect it in today's modern society. Many people don't even watch local news anymore. They want it, and expect it, to come through their phone/tablet/implant.
The weather radio is also a service but we do have the weather on the local news.
NOAA weather radio is paid for by taxpayers and a SERVICE intended for the general public. That's why it was created, and that is why it is funded.
I suppose understaffed is the big issue and I'm not about putting more burden on the tax payers.
It is a reality because many 911 centers are struggling to collect on those taxes we pay to the telcom cartels, some agencies have had to file suits to collect back taxes. No one wants to pay more taxes, but the reality is public safety gets bottom of the barrel.
Where I live spending $400 million of taxpayer money to build a ball park is more important than putting more officers on the beat or building more fire houses. It's all about priorities.
The days of police listening are over. Suppose there is nothing we can do about it.
Not everywhere is as locked down as the people's republic of Florida appears to be. But as technology improves and time marches on, I suspect in 10-15 years we will all be using some telecom mafia provided service and will be paying 10 times more than we would for LMR.
Or maybe not. We shall see.
