A transmitter for transmitting payload data and emergency information using data symbols in a single-carrier or multi-carrier broadcast system includes a modulator configured to modulate one or more transmission symbols with signaling data for use in detecting and recovering the payload data at a receiver and to modulate one or more transmission symbols with the payload data. An emergency information receiver receives emergency information carrying information of an actual emergency. An emergency information embedder embeds emergency information into one or more transmission symbols, wherein the emergency information is embedded within a predetermined time period after its reception by using a resource used for carrying signaling data and/or payload data if no emergency information shall be transmitted. A transmission unit transmits the transmission symbols.