18 years ago today, I arrived at my TV station, a CBS affiliate, in Lafayette, Indiana. It was about an hour drive every morning for me since I also often reported to our Indianapolis property and maintained a strong client base in the city. As a result, we lived in Zionsville, located between both offices, that made it convenient for my wife, also employed by the parent company in Indy. Traffic made me run a bit late, as I walked into our lobby just as the first plane hit the World Trade Center tower. My wife and I had taken photos like millions of tourists on top of the observation deck. In fact, I still have the ticket stub dated 5/31/99 in the scrap book that documents the first year of our relationship. A year-and-a-half later we were married and the deck where we stood was no longer there. All I could think of that morning, was the love we shared that weekend, as the horror of the moment took shape. All of my employees were soon gathered in the lobby to watch the second plane hit the building. At that point, we all knew this was no accident.  

We were the local news station for the community and had to make tough decisions on when to follow the network coverage and when to break in with local reactions. It was only Tuesday but my eyes were glued to the television screen for the rest of the week. Once it was determined that this was an act of terror, we hired round-the-clock security. The immediate fear was that someone could forcefully take over control of our smaller station, if this was indeed a conspiratorial attack on our country. Also, since we were directly linked to the bigger station in Indianapolis, they could additionally gain access to that signal. It was an intense time of news gathering, answering viewer questions, and balancing the scale of local vs. national coverage. In fact, there has never been a more challenging event for the television industry. In many cases, competitors became partners in an effort to protect our nation. 

If you watch the Russel Crowe performance portraying FOX News founder Roger Ailes in the Showtime series The Loudest Voice, it shows the impact of this tragedy on the broadcasting industry. The wall-to-wall coverage was a distinct advantage for the cable outlets that didn’t need to preempt popular programming. It was troubling that so many viewers blamed us for interrupting their favorite shows. I spent many hours on the phone and answering e-mails trying to justify our news responsibilities over entertainment. Viewers were growing tired of seeing the same thing wherever they turned. It was surprising how many people just didn’t care about what was happening in far away New York City. I could hear them screaming, “I want my M-
TV!”

We also pre-empted commercials that made the retailers unhappy and caused us to lose revenue. It was a no-win situation for us on the local level. However, the attack made Fox News an instant success, with the event happening right in their back yard. It simply proves that timing is everything, and that for every tragedy there are those that seize advantage. The uninterrupted coverage of this day made the entire cable industry a more formidable competitor for the over-the-air broadcasters and paved the way for more consumer viewing options. 

On that fateful day, nearly 3000 people died with close to 6000 injured. We hear the stories of those who were diverted from getting to the Trade Center that morning and saved from the destiny of their co-workers. It makes you think twice when there’s a traffic jam or red light that keeps you from making an appointment. I do not personally know anyone affected by the tragedy, even though it changed all of our lives. We’ll be near the site in a few days, most likely on Friday the 13th. This will make our visit even more ominous, a sharp contrast from the love we shared on top of the world when we bought that ticket over 20 years ago. Never Forget!