A wireless system and method for providing informative broadcast services includes a plurality of base stations, each serving a plurality of wireless communications device users via a plurality of communications channels. An alert message is first transmitted to wireless communications devices advising of the availability of a broadcast message and identifying an associated communications channel. The base station then transmits the broadcast message to the plurality of users on the identified channel. The wireless communications devices may automatically switch to the broadcast channel, for example, when there is a weather or other emergency, or may offer the user the opportunity to change channels. Also, a user may initiate a request to access a broadcast channel for services such as news, sports, or stock reports on a subscription basis.