Non Coverage of Events on 9/11

[Markxxx]

I was wondering if there were any channels who didn't cover 9/11 continuously?

I tried but can't remember any stations not covering it. What I mean is did any station just report it happened and then resume their regular schedule. As hard as I try it seems every station was running a feed from FOX or CNN or another source.

I had cable at the time but I don't recall

 

[Demodave]

I remember that the MTV suite of channels ran CBS News coverage. Even the home shopping channels like QVC and HSN ran NY1, I think.

Also, if I remember right, the only exception were the "kids" channels such as Nick. They stayed with normal programming to give an alternative for parents that didn't want their kids watching the horrible images of 9/11 and the aftermath.

 

[ssetta]

I actually remember some channels just posting a message that it happened, and that their programming was suspended. Even regular music radio stations were covering the day's events.

 

[Ultimajock]

I remember that the MTV suite of channels ran CBS News coverage. Even the home shopping channels like QVC and HSN ran NY1, I think.

...actually, HSN relayed the CBC's coverage, anchored by Peter Mansbridge from Toronto. I have six hours' worth from the evening of 9/11 of that material on VHS, and it was interesting to see a different perspective on the situation. Past that, I think the kiddie channels (Nick, Disney, etc.) and ESPNnews continued with their regular programming (ESPNnews did have a blurb crawling across the bottom of the screen advising viewers to tune to their local ABC affiliates for updates on New York/Washington/Pennsylvania), and most of the movie-related and premium channels from HBO and Showtime to Playboy TV maintained their usual schedule with a few adjustments (I seem to recall that one of the Encore channels had scheduled WRONG IS RIGHT, about an alleged terrorist plot to bomb New York -- the bombs are found atop the WTC -- for later that week, and it was yanked). I think only Fox Movie Channel flipped to FNC. The home, fashion and style channels like Food and DIY pulled all their programming and just showed a graphic with somber music...

 

[radiolives]

I know that both TNT and TBS aired news coverage from CNN. Not sure what ESPN and ESPN 2 showed I think ABC News as all sport events were cancled due to the events going on. Also USA Network and Sci-Fi both aired normal programs as they had no news source they could air as NBC didn't own those networks then. Today I would say they would air MSNBC or NBC News feed. As for one local sports network MSG just aired a video of a American Flag.

 

[emailfailed]

As has been noted here Sci-Fi, USA and Bravo carried their regular programming. I agree if NBC would have owned them back in 2001 NBC would have preempted those channels with NBC News and MSNBC and even local coverage from WNBC-TV.

Which reminds me, VH1 carried coverage from WCBS-TV for many hours on that day.

Comedy Central ran a scroll at the bottom of their screen urging viewers to donate to The Red Cross.

I seem to recall most, or all, of the ESPN channels carried ABC News. Later in the evening ESPN's SportsCenter had a special program about that day.

Now that I think about it, WWOR, of all channels, just aired coverage during their regular newscast. Does anyone know if this was on their national feed, or if it was like this on their New York OTA signal? After all it seems very odd an event of this proportion and magnitude would go unnoticed by a New York television station, even if it is a second tier superstation.

Even WGN's national feed had continuing coverage for about two days; giving the nation coverage from WGN News and at (many) times feeding New York's WPIX's coverage to the nation.

All the movie channels carried on as normal and I don't seem to recall stations like HBO and Cinemax running some type of scroll at the bottom of the screen.

Here in L.A. our main PBS station, KCET, carried the morning and afternoon children's programs with a scroll running along the screen urging viewers to tune in later in the evening for a special edition of "The News Hour." Our second tier PBS station, KLCS, was airing coverage from BBC News.

 

[azumanga]

Now that I think about it, WWOR, of all channels, just aired coverage during their regular newscast. Does anyone know if this was on their national feed, or if it was like this on their New York OTA signal? After all it seems very odd an event of this proportion and magnitude would go unnoticed by a New York television station, even if it is a second tier superstation.

By then, WWOR no longer had a separate service, with its "EMI Service" channel folded at the end of 1996.

However, I thought I heard back then that they simulcasted WNYW; by then WWOR and WNYW were under Fox ownership.

 

[DToTheJ]

Locally, WWOR was simulcasting WNYW/Fox 5, or at times, Fox News Channel.

 

[mjlarochelle]

I recall CBC had continuous coverage on their cable news channel CBC Newsworld, but they did not break into regular programming on the main CBC network until noon, as they had (and still have) childrens' programming until then. They stated that they did that because they interrupted Sesame Street with wall-to-wall coverage of the Challenger explosion in 1986, and got many complaints as a result (not surprisingly).

Everyone else I can think of had coverage, except for maybe some specialty channels. WUAB in Cleveland, then a UPN affiliate, was running CNN's feed with a Hometeam 43 logo in the corner.

 

[jsu5381m]

The Weather Channel aired regular programming, but with sad music.

Here's something that would be embarassing though. I'm sure many remember what they were doing when they first heard that 9/11 happened. I'd hate to find out about Sept 11 while watching those X rated pay per view channels (and I will stop there.