September 11, 2001: When Radio Was There

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

There are certain moments in history when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first heard the news.

September 11, 2001, is one of those days.

Twenty-five years ago, what began as an ordinary Tuesday morning, soon became a day Americans would never forget. Four commercial airplanes were hijacked. Two struck the World Trade Center in New York City. A third struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.

As Americans struggled to understand what was happening, they turned to the media around them for information. For millions who were driving to work, already at work or simply away from a television, that meant turning to radio.

Radio stations across the country quickly abandoned normal programming. Music stopped. Commercials were set aside. News coverage took over. Radio personalities who had started the morning expecting to entertain their audiences suddenly found themselves trying to explain events that no one yet fully understood.

In New York, broadcasters were covering the story while experiencing the attack themselves. The World Trade Center was home to transmission facilities for several radio stations, and when the towers were struck and ultimately collapsed, some broadcasters lost the very infrastructure they needed to remain on air. Engineers and station personnel improvised, finding alternate transmitters, signals and facilities while journalists reported from the streets and studios. However, the story quickly became much larger than New York.

At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. For radio broadcasters throughout the Washington, D.C. region, a national story was suddenly unfolding in their own backyard. Regular programming gave way to continuous news and information as broadcasters provided updates about the Pentagon, evacuations, transportation and what was happening throughout the nation’s capital.

Then came Pennsylvania.

At 10:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft. All 40 passengers and crew members were killed, along with the four hijackers. Their actions prevented the plane from reaching its intended target.

For Pennsylvania broadcasters, what had been a devastating national story suddenly became local as reporters made their way toward rural Somerset County. Journalist Tim Lambert was among those covering the events that day. He would later learn that Flight 93 had crashed on land his own family had owned, an extraordinary intersection between the journalist covering the story and the tragedy itself.

Across America, radio continued doing what it has always done during moments of crisis – a familiar and comforting voice delivering important information to the listeners in their communities.

Broadcasters shared news about transportation, evacuations, blood donations, relief efforts and emergency information. They carried reports from local and national journalists. Listeners called to share what they were seeing, ask questions and express their fear, grief and disbelief. Local on-air radio personalities who normally provided entertainment, music, laughter and companionship became reassuring voices during a day when reassurance was desperately needed.

Radio’s role was particularly important because September 11 happened before smartphones and social media became part of everyday life. There were no push notifications appearing in our hands or social feeds continuously updating with breaking news. For people in their cars or away from a television or computer, radio was there – immediate and accessible. This is what stands out most these 25 years later.

Radio didn’t have to wait for people to find it. It was already accompanying them through their morning when history interrupted their lives. As the enormity of what was happening became clear – from New York, to the Pentagon, to a quiet field in Pennsylvania – radio stayed with its listeners.

As the 25th anniversary of September 11 approaches, we pause to remember those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard Flights 11, 175, 77 and 93. We remember their families and loved ones. We remember the first responders who ran toward danger that day and worked tirelessly after. We remember the passengers and crew of Flight 93 whose courage saved the lives of others.

We also remember the broadcasters who remained behind microphones, rushed toward breaking news, improvised when communications failed and helped their communities understand what was happening during one of the darkest days in American history.

Twenty-five years later, technology has changed dramatically and the ways we receive information have multiplied. But radio’s responsibility to inform, connect and serve its communities remains and is stronger than ever.

On September 11, 2001, Americans needed immediate information. They needed familiar voices. They needed connection. Radio was there.