A Very Broad-Brush, Severe Thunderstorm Warning

I received the above graphic in my email the other day - I thought, at first, that it was a spoof. But a bit of digging confirmed that the the red area outlined above was an actual NWS Severe Thunderstorm Warning. What a confusing message this must have been for users - did the text scroll and scroll and scroll across the bottom of TV-screens? Obviously, this was a very strange quirk within the NWS warning system. The actual text of the warning :
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BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
555 PM EST WED FEB 22 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ANDERSON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  BLEDSOE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  BLOUNT COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  NORTHERN BRADLEY COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  SOUTHERN CAMPBELL COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  CARTER COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  CLAIBORNE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  COCKE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  GRAINGER COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  GREENE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HAMBLEN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HAMILTON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HANCOCK COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HAWKINS COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  JEFFERSON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  KNOX COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  LOUDON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  MCMINN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  MEIGS COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  MONROE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  MORGAN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  RHEA COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  ROANE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  EXTREME SOUTHERN SCOTT COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  SEQUATCHIE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  SEVIER COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  EXTREME WESTERN SULLIVAN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  UNICOI COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  UNION COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...

* UNTIL 645 PM EST/545 PM CST/