News Media Reflect on Sept. 11
DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Major broadcast and cable news networks abandoned regular programming Wednesday to revive the shocking images of a year ago and offer a gathering place for a nation to grieve and remember.
The coverage brought back memories of last fall, when ABC, CBS and NBC reported on the terrorist attacks for four full days. This time, the fresh and unfolding horror was replaced by a knowing sadness.
``We are still coming to grips with what happened on that day,'' NBC's Tom Brokaw said.
The major networks all offered a similar mix of memorial service coverage, somber interviews with victims' relatives and recaps of what happened.
The disturbing images of a year ago - planes striking the World Trade Center, the fiery towers and their eventual collapse - could be seen several times. Networks had resisted using them since the first few days after the attacks and promised to use restraint on the anniversary.
CNN occasionally warned viewers before showing the pictures. The network did show a still picture of people falling from the towers.
``We are trying to be careful in how we use these and when we use these,'' CNN's Aaron Brown said. ``Understandably, this is very hard to watch.''
Networks paused for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. EDT to mark the moment the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani began reading the 2,801 names of people killed at the site that day, a process that took two and a half hours.
The recital of names was mixed with coverage of a Pentagon memorial service. In New York, the networks' local affiliates stayed with the names, the staggering numbers eloquently illustrating the event's magnitude.
CBS accompanied the roll call with pictures of as many victims it could find; The New York Times ran a photo gallery of victims that took up nearly seven full pages. CNN ran names on its continuous news crawl, and the A&E Network flashed names on a black background.
``It was a day when thousands of lives were lost and thousands of heroes were born,'' CBS anchor Dan Rather said.
Shortly after 7 a.m. EDT, NBC began an ominous tick-tock recap of what was happening a year earlier with the moment hijacker Mohamed Atta boarded a plane in Portland, Maine. On ABC, Diane Sawyer explained how the lead story a year ago was Michael Jordan's return to basketball.
Television executives were unsure how much Americans would be willing to watch on Wednesday. First lady Laura Bush advised parents to turn off the TV and read to their children instead, or light a memorial candle.
Commercials were notably absent, as advertisers stayed away from the anniversary.
For several hours, only one paid message was visible: the same somber, black-and-white tribute to Sept. 11 victims that was prepared by Verizon and appeared on ABC, CBS and NBC.
Anchors like Rather and NBC's Katie Couric reported from porches overlooking ground zero. It was a location that became more difficult throughout the day as the wind picked up; one gust shook Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as she was being interviewed.
``I'm about to be blown away here,'' she said, looking worried for a moment.
Patriotic graphics - a waving flag on Fox News Channel, a red, white and blue ribbon on MSNBC - reappeared on many screens.
Stories about victims appeared on CNBC, but the stock ticker still scrolled. Some networks offered other options: the cartoon ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' on Nickelodeon, a Madonna movie on Comedy Central. A ``message to God'' figurine was hawked on the Home Shopping Network and meteorologists on The Weather Channel tracked a storm in New England.
Newspapers looked both forward and back: The New York Post's cover showed the Trade Center towers and the headline ``Lest We Forget,'' while the Daily News talked about a new terrorist threat with the headline ``Code Orange.''
On the Internet, Yahoo.com's home page was devoid of its usually vivid colors, its white background replaced with gray. Amazon.com's vestibule carried drawings, essays and poetry from New York City schoolchildren.
``I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words,'' eighth-grader Stephanie wrote in one essay. ``It may be the last time you see them.''
The online auction site eBay draped a flag over its home page and opened a temporary discussion board about the anniversary, while the White House, Lycos and other sites replaced their front pages with tributes.
TV networks promised different approaches in prime-time, except for coverage of President Bush's address to the nation. NBC planned to air a commemorative concert, CBS had an exclusive Bush interview and a rerun of its ``9-11'' documentary, while ABC had news reports.
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