1. A system of radio and television broadcasting used in the United States during the Cold War to alert the public in case of nuclear attack or other emergency.
Usage: historical; acronym for 'Control of Electromagnetic Radiation'; largely obsolete; replaced by the Emergency Alert System

Examples

• Conelrad was designed to provide emergency communications to American citizens during the Cold War.
• The conelrad system used specific radio frequencies to broadcast civil defense warnings.
• Schools conducted conelrad drills in the 1950s and 1960s to prepare for potential nuclear emergencies.
• Conelrad broadcasts would interrupt regular programming to alert the public of imminent danger.
• The distinctive conelrad alert tone became a symbol of Cold War-era anxiety.