September 11th Anniversary

[TopOfThePops]

From reading posts here at Radio Info Providence. Everyone here (myself included) likes radio. Putting, formats,
ratings, etc. On the sideline for a moment or two. Where were you, when you found out about what was going on
that very sad day seven years ago? I think every station in Providence handled everything very well. Certain events
like this. Along with JFK,RFK, Doctor King. Do tend to stay with you for a very longtime. And you remember every little detail that happened like it was yesterday. God Bless America!!!!!!

 

[Holland Cooke]

"Where were you, when you found out..."

7 years later, that's still an opportune call-in question.
Letting-people-vent -- tell their stories -- about that terrible Tuesday -- is a REAL useful posture for radio.
Just now, CBS Radio's Charles Osgood used that line to open The Osgood File.

Good morning from Winston-Salem NC, where client WSJS is, appropriately, gently, taking-listeners-back, and honoring those who died that day. VERY well-planned and sound-rich, but not over-done. The traffic report is still where-the-traffic-report-goes.

7 years ago today, I was pulling into the parking lot at WINA/Charlottesville VA, as CBS News came on @ 9AM.
Lead story: an airplane has hit the World Trade Center.
Second story: Michael Jordan will suit-up for the Washington Wizards.
Inference: The airplane must've been a Cessna. An accident or a whacko.

Moments later, I walked past an abandoned reception desk, into a packed newsroom.
The entire station staff was aghast, staring at the TV.

Then I heard what you heard, wherever you were, if you weren't alone.
When the second plane hit, SOMEONE in the room you were in, maybe you, said: "That's LIVE."
TV had been doing replay after replay of the first plane hit.
When everyone-in-the-room-you-were-in at-that-moment realized a second plane had hit, someone said, aloud, "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK."

I was SUPPOSED to be returning to RI that day.
Plan A was that I'd drive the several hours to Washington, then fly DCA-to-PVD next morning.
I had a Priceline reservation at a hotel a mile from the Pentagon that night.

Plan B: The station put me up for another night in Charlottesville.
For the first time in history, Priceline excused reservations.
Next day, I, like many Americans, DROVE-where-I-had-planned-to-fly...15 hours to Providence.
Avis waived the Drop Charge.

As I exited the New Jersey Turnpike and headed for the GW Bridge, I did what you always do there, I glanced right, to admire the Manhattan skyline. But it looked different that day. There, in the air, hung that orange-brown cloud of death. Even with the rental car AC on, I could smell the sickening stench of death.

I said aloud, to nobody else in the car, "I'm getting a sailboat."

 

[wknd92]

I was in my cubby hole at a large insurance company complex in northern RI and as was talking with someone on the phone, I could hear overhead newscasts instead of Coast....being formerly in radio that pricked up my attention. Ended the phonecall and distinctly thought I heard "Another plane has hit the Tower!" Nah, couldn't be....there was some milling about and murmuring going around the office, a little more than usual, so I peek my head over the wall...kind of reminded me of a chicken house...people moving quickly from here to there, asking questions from one person to another. I then heard the newscast (which I believe Coast switched over to simulcast HJJ by that point) say that both towers at World Trade Center have been hit by planes and are on fire....quick phone cals to my brother's cell in Brooklyn and my sister's cell (10th Ave in Manhattan)...busy, busy, busy...have to leave message for both. Call to my dad here and he hasn't heard from them yet...run to the conference room, grab the TV and roll it out to the side of the building to try and see what is going on (we didn't have rabbit ears on the TV, then...we damn sure do now) and see the replay of the shot of the 2nd jet hitting...floored me. Have a 8 1/2 month pregnant wife , praying she doesn't go into labor and finding out later in the day that my cousin & his wife were on one of the flights from Boston...a little well know person named David Angell. This morning, as I have done each year at 8:46am, whether I am driving, on the phone, whatever....pulled over, stopped and said a little prayer to them. I was in the Pro newsroom the day Oklahoma City happened...a very hectic; but busy day and one that I loved for the sheer teamwork we used to get the story out that day...would have loved to be in the newsroom that day as well to have been part of the biggest news story of my lifetime.

 

[jazzjock]

Re: "Where were you, when you found out..."

TV had been doing replay after replay of the first plane hit.

They couldnt do replay after replay of the first plane (The American 767) hitting the WTC..

The only footage of the first attack was taken by the (french I believe) crew who were working with one of the fire departments in Lower Manhattan. The cameraman heard the screech of the plane and panned up to see the 767 smash into the first tower.

Jazzy!

 

[bloodshot56]

9 11 01 found in my office in boston earlier then normal. About 7: 10 am i was sitting at my desk in a building between south station and china town looking NE-right at Logan. sipping coffee and reading the globe while taking the time watching the morning commuters take off from the south runway was my usual morning ritual, and that morning was no different. theres no doubt i saw the doomed flight take off. sure i couldn't tell which one it was, but when my wife called from home w/ our 2 year old, it all regerstered pretty quickly. i stayed in boston all day till the city was aghost town.

my only unanswered question from the whole ordeal is still how the "hero" s were able to make cell phone calls from flight 93? you just can't do it! i've flown alot over the past 15 years and had several different phone services and none worked in the air-still don't. the only possible hope was that the plane was low enough but even that theroy went out the window today in USA TODAY. anyone ever heard this explaineed?

 

[TonySantiago]

I sometimes visit this board...but from a NYC perspective, thank you.

It is still a VERY hard subject to deal with since most of what had occurred took place down here. For me, it was just a matter of going to the roof of where I worked (in Queens) and being right there as the towers were engulfed in smoke and eventually collapsed.

Even as I visit my father's grave in The Bronx, right around his area you see the gravestones of many cops, firefighters, etc..who perished on 9-11 just doing their job and trying to save as many people as possible. They made the ultimate sacrifice and I will never forget that.

So, Rhode Island/So. Mass.....thank you.

 

[WMC2006]

I live in central Mass and had actually taken a couple of days off from a couple of jobs including a parttime one with the US Postal Service.

I was on Cape Cod in my hotel room listening to the radio. I'm reasonably certain (memory is foggy now) that I was listening to Oldies 103 and that Paula Street mentioned that a plane had hit one of the WTC's. I turned the tv on and flipped back and forth between GMA and Today. Eventually, I turned the tv off and headed downstairs to the restaurant at the hotel for breakfast.

Following breakfast, I went back up to the room and watched network coverage again for a little while. I'm about 95% sure that I watched the first tower go down live. I'm 100% certain I watched the 2nd tower go down live.

Aside from saying a little prayer, there wasn't much else I could do at that point and it was a beautiful day on the Cape so I did what I had intended to do....I went to the beach. For a little while at the beach, I tuned into WBCN and listened to Howard Stern (from NY). Headed home later that day (as scheduled).

The next day, I went into work at the USPS. Lots of safety issues discussed.

Someone earlier in the post mentioned Oklahoma City. I was in a hotel in Maine when I heard about that.

And the OJ Simpson finding? I was driving a rental car on the Washington DC Loop.