Radio or TV on 9/11?

[954]

Were you listening to Radio or TV on 9/11?

I *think* I was mostly watching FNC as it unfolded, and
probably didn't turn on the radio until the next day.

How 'bout you?

Five years later, the following is all I can remember about it:

Radio Chains Don't Serve Public Interest In September 11 Crisis -- commentary
http://radiopages.net/radio/september11.html

I think I was listening mostly to WFTL's coverage on 1400.

Right now, WFTL's Kelley Mitchell is on remote in NYC.

On the morning of 9/11, I had just started watching the
previous day's O'Reilly (which I had taped at 4 AM) when
the phone rang. So I had FNC on and was watching it,
with the sound off, when the coverage started.

 

[radiolover78]

I watched CNN. Many of the local stations were off the air in my region due to the attacks.

 

[top4odj]

I did both. I was at work, and we have a tv in the showroom of the store that we use for "How To" CD's from our product lines, and we had it on WSVN-7. When I was at my office desk, I had on WIOD. The minute I got home, it was CNN for the rest of the evening.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I had just returned to work after a great weekend at the WFTL 1400 Reunion in Fort Lauderdale. I started and organized the thing with some help from folks in Fort Lauderdale. A few times they wanted to postpone it because it was difficult finding everyone and getting them to commit but I said if we postpone it I'm afraid it will never happen. We pushed on with it I think something like 50 people attended and we all had a great time. In the light of what happened I'm glad we did it before the events of 9/11. Some people who stayed over an extra day or two got stuck where they were.

I cam back to work and someone had a radio on. I didn't hear the report but when someone told me about a plane hitting the WTC I remembered the story about the small plane that hit the Empire State Building many years ago. I got back to my office and on the way I saw people staring tranfixed at the TV in one of the small meeting rooms. I came in and joined them. We were there for quite awhile watching the ABC station with a very primitive TV antenna. In the days that followed we listened to NPR alot while in the office.

Not knowing how many other strikes were coming I learned what it felt like to be under attack and not know where the next attack might be.

 

[John FL]

As I was a creature of habit, I was often at the company cafeteria just before 9AM picking up a little breakfast snack. There was a large number of people gathered in front of a TV that was mounted to a high wall. I quickly glanced up and saw that something was on fire but I continued with the business at hand.

A few minutes later as I was making my way back to the 'ol cubicle, the crowd appeared to have tripled. Then the second plane struck and we all realized that this was no accident and that something terrible was happening. CNN was on and considering so little was known initially, their coverage was first-rate. When we then heard something had apparently happened at the Pentagon, many of us disbanded and made our way back to work to find out what to do next.

My manager was in Charlotte NC that day. I quickly called him and it took me a while to get him understand what was happening. With the airports virtually closing down in short time, he could have tons of problems getting home as we all know happened to thousands of people. He wound up getting the last rental car, according to him, and he proceeded to drive from Charlotte to his home in St. Lewis. He said the trip took 3 times longer than normal.

On a side note, the World Trade Center always held a special place for me. For many years including my time in College when I comuted from New Jersey to lower Manhattan to work, I was at the WTC terminal where there were lots of shops and restaurants. I don't even rememeber when the heck this was but the first day the Path train made its way to the new WTC terminal, all of us including me said something to the effect of "wow, look at this." Compared to the grungy Hudson Terminal we were so used to, this was (at the time) state of the art. Beautiful earth-tone tiles and TVs mounted everywhere with weather reports, stock reports etc. Big digital type displays on each of the platforms and special lights indicating when a train was leaving. The WTC was certainly a part of my life for a long time.

A few years after 9/11, I learned of a College classmate who had died. At the time we went to school, we were good friends. I can't imagine how someone can feel to loose a spouse or a child or a parent.