9/11: Before the Age of Distractions

That painful day happened before TikTok, YouTube and podcasts. Maybe that's partly why my memories remain so vivid.

I remember September 11, 2001 with amazing clarity.

That beautiful blue sky.

That crisp air.

You could smell autumn on the way.

I was sitting on a bench in Alexandria, Virginia, waiting to take a bus to the train station near my house. I was heading to the Associated Press in downtown Washington, where I had just started working in the broadcast newsroom the day before.

Then I heard a very loud boom.

“They got the Pentagon,” I said to myself.

I was right. A plane had just slammed into the Pentagon five miles away.

STILL CLEAR

That moment remains fresh in my mind all these years later. It ranks right up there with when I got married, when my parents died, and when my kids were born.

For my generation, we had fewer distractions back then. No Instagram. No TikTok. No Apple Podcasts. No YouTube. No Spotify. So I think that helped crystalize the dramatic day for me. My memories remain vivid and clear, uncontaminated by the attention-grabbing distractions of today.

Fast-forward two decades, and 9/11 became part of my life again. For several years, I worked just five minutes from where the Twin Towers collapsed in lower Manhattan.

I had an office on Vesey Street, where Cumulus Media leases a beautiful suite overlooking the Hudson River. So I often walked by the 9/11 Memorial on my way to get coffee or lunch.

Some days, there were visitors. Other days, the place was quiet and tourist-free.

PAY YOUR RESPECTS

When in New York City, make sure you set aside some time to visit the 9/11 Memorial.

Trees ring the entire memorial and offer shade. They provide comfort even on the hottest summer days.

You see the names of the dead. You see the waterfalls. You see the footprints where the Twin Towers used to stand.

And, for those of us around in 2001, you see the tragedy in your mind all over again.

MY RECOMMENDATION WNYC Radio in New York has published its coverage of previous 9/11 anniversaries over the years. Head to Apple Podcasts and look for 9/11 Specials from New York Public Radio. You’ll find coverage from 2021 and 2011. Unfortunately, I could not find these episodes on Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio. If you find them there, please let me know.

John Wordock runs his own consulting company John Wordock Media LLC. He served as Executive Editor/SVP for Podcasting at Westwood One from 2019 to 2024, helping build Cumulus Podcast Network into a top ten network and top channel on Apple Podcasts. He also used to be Executive Producer for podcasts at The Wall Street Journal until 2019. He started podcasting in 2006. Wanna talk? John@JohnWordockMedia.com.