Every single one of us old enough to remember 9-11 can also remember exactly where we were when it happened.
I lived in New Orleans and had a place right on Lake Pontchartrain. There was a paved path next to the part of the lake where I lived, and it was so peaceful to get out there early in the morning and go for a run.
The morning of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 started off no different than any other morning. I woke up, saw a bright and beautiful morning, and wanted to get out for my run before it got too hot. The sun was bright, the water reflected the sun beautifully, and it was already hot and sticky. After a good run, I came back to my place and the light on my answering machine was blinking. I hit play, walked over, and poured myself a bowl of cereal. As I was pouring, the message started playing. It was from my mom. Very nonchalantly, she said "just wondering if you were watching what was going on in New York. All right, talk to you later" I didn't really think much of it.
I then walked over, turned on the TV to the Today Show, and the first thing I saw was a plane flying into one of the World Trade Center buildings with the other one furiously on fire. What in the world? I watched for a few seconds, and after soaking in what I saw, I went and turned on the radio to see if our morning show at the radio station was mentioning it. By that time, we had already started carrying wall to wall network coverage, which we would continue to carry for several days.
The local broadcasters in New York City were stepping into uncharted territory. As broadcasters, we all know that we are to be there in times of emergency, whether it's a terror attack, a natural disaster, or whatever else is thrown at us. In times like this, so many turn to TV to see the story unfold, but as said in this video, the men and women of New York radio brought the visual of TV to the radio. While we all watched and listened, it was THEIR city under attack and they did a remarkable job that morning.
Check out this video that was put together by a New York broadcaster to pay tribute to these broadcasters at an industry event.