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20th anniversary of 9/11 on TV

seatownmedia

seatownmedia

I have kept an old video tape (since transcribed to DVD) of tv coverage of this event. Revisited this evening. The coverage was actually quite good. The three major networks still had their legendary anchors, only one who is still alive in Dan Rather. ABC with Peter Jennings, NBC with Tom Brokaw. CNN actually caught a live collapse of one of the towers, with former Seattle anchor Aaron Brown reporting from the top of another building. It was his first day at CNN!

I wonder if coverage of a similar event today would provide the same coverage. I think the industry has lost a bit of its power over the years.

I remember that I was so mesmerized by the event I forgot to go to work that morning, at a cluster of radio stations, no less.
Probably costed me my job just three months later.

Please share your broadcast memories of this historic event.
 
Brokaw is retired, not dead. NBC may ask him to come back for some reflections of 9/11, while CBS will probably do the same with Rather.
 
I was on vacation internationally, and because I wasn't in the USA the TV options were limited but the place we were at did have CNN and I was quite happy with their coverage and we stayed glued to the TV for days. I didn't actually realize it was Aaron Brown's first day on the job at CNN until years later, and I already knew him and was a fan, as I used to watch him on ABC World News Now, overnights on my local ABC affiliate years prior.
 
seatownmedia said:
I have kept an old video tape (since transcribed to DVD) of tv coverage of this event. Revisited this evening. The coverage was actually quite good. The three major networks still had their legendary anchors, only one who is still alive in Dan Rather. ABC with Peter Jennings, NBC with Tom Brokaw. CNN actually caught a live collapse of one of the towers, with former Seattle anchor Aaron Brown reporting from the top of another building. It was his first day at CNN!

I wonder if coverage of a similar event today would provide the same coverage. I think the industry has lost a bit of its power over the years.

I remember that I was so mesmerized by the event I forgot to go to work that morning, at a cluster of radio stations, no less.
Probably costed me my job just three months later.

Please share your broadcast memories of this historic event.
Click to expand...
We had an insurrection attack at the capitol just this year and that's what the coverage would look like. The difference would be political finger-pointing immediately.
 
I was working in the producer chair at Metro Networks in Dayton, Ohio. I glanced over at the TV monitors to see the pictures of the first tower after it was hit, and Bryant Gumble break into the entire network. I said to my co-workers "a plane just hit the World Trade Center. I saw the second (I don't remember if I saw the actual impact or not but the immediately replays, definitely). I said "another plane hot the World Trade Center". The morning shift had ended and everyone else gathered around the TVs. Then it was a plethora of radio and TV coverage---we were providing coverage to affiates and Metro had found us a Fox News feed for stations that weren't affiliated with a radio network (it wasn't the political lightning rod it is now and could still do straight reporting). I heard a lot of ABC coverage from WLW. All 4 Cox stations were simulcasting and WONE was taking WLW coverage.
 
gr8oldies said:
...Metro had found us a Fox News feed for stations that weren't affiliated with a radio network (it wasn't the political lightning rod it is now and could still do straight reporting).
Click to expand...
I remember a few large-scale events that occurred back in the day, and after moving around from CNN to Fox News and a few of the major networks, in one or 2 cases I actually though Fox had the best coverage all things considered, and I stuck with them. As you correctly state, they did fairly straight coverage back then with knowledgeable subject matter experts, a good amount of video roll and live content, and little finger pointing or spin or posturing that I can recall. Much different than would most likely be the case if those same stories were to unfold today.
 
My family didn't tape the 9/11 coverage, but they did purchase newspapers in the 2-3 days that followed (as did nearly every American). They were misplaced in a move, but I was able to find another copy of the 9/12/01 Seattle Times for mom a couple of years ago (one that she did have, along with the P.I., RIP.)
Second-hand on the VHS tapes, I have found 8 hours of CNN from that day + 4 hours of CBS through KIMA Yakima, nothing local except crawls...just Dan Rather and straight-forward coverage. No one does that anymore. That's why my TV news viewing has gone down to a pulp compared to 2-3 years ago. There is no network, especially on cable, with straightforward news and commentary. It's either slanted one way politically or another way politically. No wonder the foreign broadcasters win awards and kick our butts.
None of those recordings include the explosion at the second tower live. The CNN recording started about two minutes before the first tower went down (i.e., around 6:45AM PT) and the CBS recording was at least 2 hours after both went down. Not many people up at 5:50 AM to put a tape in, trying to multitask their coffee and getting ready for work...which for many, they were told to go home.
In Seattle, my mom's doctor's office told everyone to go home. She had an appointment scheduled that day with her rheumatologist. The floating bridges closed and many Seattle buildings closed because nobody knew if a plane was going to crash into Seattle. Thank the Lord above that didn't happen. Schools stayed open on the other hand, with some teachers trying to hide the bad news from students, and some teachers rolling out TVs.

It's still hard to watch it 20 years later. New York, D.C., and the entirety of America, would never be the same again.
 
I actually remember channel surfing on that day, and it was on almost every single channel, even cable channels that don’t normally have news. But they didn’t have their own news, so they just aired somebody else’s. And I remember there were some channels, such as QVC that simply had a text on screen saying “Our programming has been suspended.” I think the only channels that weren’t covering it, at least during the day, were children’s networks, such as PBS.
 
Don CT said:
You think CBS will ask Dan back? Things ended frosty.
Click to expand...
I think so

Whether he accepts the invitation or not is of course up to him

But the mystery is where is Aaron Brown?? Will he assist CNN with its coverage??

We already know Sheperd Smith won't be ,on Fox News as he'll either be on NBC or CNBC to assist in their coverage (I doubt he'll be on MSNBC as I think his contract prohibits that)
 
What gets ME is how the NFL handled the game involving THE LAST two teams to play an NFL game (If not A SPORTS EVENT) in A PRE-9/11 WORLD

That is the Broncos -Giants game

What I get is that THIS game should be played in The Meadowlands but what I DO NOT get is WHEN

When the schedule first came out, it was slated to a 1:00 PM ET on CBS

THEN it was shifted to a 4:25PM ET start on FOX

What SHOULD have happened I think is the game SHOULD have been shifted to Thursday Night on NBC as the kickoff game (Rather than YET ANOTHER game featuring the Super Bowl Champions AND TOM BRADY which should've been the 4:25 PM ET game on FOX)

Alternatively, the Btoncos-Giants game could've been moved to FRIDAY night on NFL Network (With FOX producing the game) OR ESPN with the MNF crew in the booth (Remember it was ABC who had the game 20 years ago when it had the MNF rights & last year PROVED that NFL games can take place on ANY day of the week EVEN ON FRIDAYS when the High Schools play their games & it would have VERY LITTLE negative impact)

The game could've served as a springboard into the 9/11 weekend that will undoubtedly be emotional by having a pregame ceremony that could be carried by EVEN THE NEWS NETWORKS

But alas, ALL THIS seems to have BEEN LOST on a League WELL KNOWN for it's CLUELESSNESS when it comes to things like this

Am I THE ONLY one who feels this way?? 😳
 
gr8oldies said:
I was working in the producer chair at Metro Networks in Dayton, Ohio. I glanced over at the TV monitors to see the pictures of the first tower after it was hit, and Bryant Gumble break into the entire network. I said to my co-workers "a plane just hit the World Trade Center. I saw the second (I don't remember if I saw the actual impact or not but the immediately replays, definitely). I said "another plane hot the World Trade Center". The morning shift had ended and everyone else gathered around the TVs. Then it was a plethora of radio and TV coverage---we were providing coverage to affiates and Metro had found us a Fox News feed for stations that weren't affiliated with a radio network (it wasn't the political lightning rod it is now and could still do straight reporting). I heard a lot of ABC coverage from WLW. All 4 Cox stations were simulcasting and WONE was taking WLW coverage.
Click to expand...
This is great but this is the NATIONAL TV board (Not the National Radio board) 🤣😅
 
JeeperOne said:
What gets ME is how the NFL handled the game involving THE LAST two teams to play an NFL game (If not A SPORTS EVENT) in A PRE-9/11 WORLD

That is the Broncos -Giants game

What I get is that THIS game should be played in The Meadowlands but what I DO NOT get is WHEN

When the schedule first came out, it was slated to a 1:00 PM ET on CBS

THEN it was shifted to a 4:25PM ET start on FOX

What SHOULD have happened I think is the game SHOULD have been shifted to Thursday Night on NBC as the kickoff game (Rather than YET ANOTHER game featuring the Super Bowl Champions AND TOM BRADY which should've been the 4:25 PM ET game on FOX)

Alternatively, the Btoncos-Giants game could've been moved to FRIDAY night on NFL Network (With FOX producing the game) OR ESPN with the MNF crew in the booth (Remember it was ABC who had the game 20 years ago when it had the MNF rights & last year PROVED that NFL games can take place on ANY day of the week EVEN ON FRIDAYS when the High Schools play their games & it would have VERY LITTLE negative impact)

The game could've served as a springboard into the 9/11 weekend that will undoubtedly be emotional by having a pregame ceremony that could be carried by EVEN THE NEWS NETWORKS
Click to expand...
I doubt that anyone remembers that Denver and the NY Giants played the day before the 9/11 attack. That game was played in Denver anyway. What's the significance of that? The league cancelled all games the following Sunday. The attack happened on a Tuesday.

The Dallas vs Tampa Bay game was certainly ratings gold this year. I don't get what connection you are trying to make between the 9/11 incident and NFL games...
 
ssetta said:
I actually remember channel surfing on that day, and it was on almost every single channel, even cable channels that don’t normally have news. But they didn’t have their own news, so they just aired somebody else’s. And I remember there were some channels, such as QVC that simply had a text on screen saying “Our programming has been suspended.” I think the only channels that weren’t covering it, at least during the day, were children’s networks, such as PBS.
Click to expand...
I was actually uploading stuff to my Live365 accounts while surfing the FM radio dial with my stereo (Having no cable or Satellite TV & OTA TV, some FM & nearly all AM radio reception not being that great where I was living at the time) & scant reports of (What turned out to be) the World Trade Center being hit by aircraft

While I was still in bed sleeping when the two 110 story towers came crashing down, I heard the collapse of 7 World Trade Center LIVE (I recall hearing Ashleigh Banfield (Then of MSNBC) interviewing a woman with a baby on the street when the interview suddenly ended because they had to run for their lives as it came down

By the time that happened the uploading (INCLUDING a playlist I JUST STARTED on my Old Time Radio station) & WAS LIVE ON ALL OF THEM, giving my reaction to the whole situation (Which was quite emotional) & passed along what I was hearing from the media for those who didn't have access to it or had heard scant rumorous reports themselves

I then took the stations silent for the remainder of the week, resuming broadcast as soon as I could get each of them back on the air over the course of the following weekend

Pat
 
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tbolt909 said:
I doubt that anyone remembers that Denver and the NY Giants played the day before the 9/11 attack. That game was played in Denver anyway. What's the significance of that? The league cancelled all games the following Sunday. The attack happened on a Tuesday.

The Dallas vs Tampa Bay game was certainly ratings gold this year. I don't get what connection you are trying to make between the 9/11 incident and NFL games...
Click to expand...
No they played on Monday Night

The attacks were on TUESDAY

And the Giants-Broncos game was THE LAST NFL game EVER played in a Pre-9/11 world

THE LAST thing people wanted to see (Certainly New Yorkers) wanted to see going into THIS weekend was YET ANOTHER game involving the Super Bowl Champs (Let alone Tom Brady) just because it's "Ratings gold".The Cowboys-Bucs could've waited until Week 2 IMO

Pat
 
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