Terrorism coverage notes from CT

[hmglaz@webtv.net (Howard Glazer)]

I became aware of the attack around 9:45, as I got into my car to get to
a 10 o'clock appointment. The car radio was tuned to WPLR New Haven. I
don't believe this station has a news department, so what I heard was
the announcers and other staff reading sketchy wire service reports and,
obviously, watching TV and commenting on what they were seeing -- an
audible gasp as a tower collapsed. etc.

Returning to the car at 11:15, I tuned to WDRC-FM, which was relaying
Buckley Broadcasting sister station WOR New York's coverage, with local
break-ins from DRC's Beth Bradley every 15 minutes or so updating the
airport situation, what's open and what's closed. No music at all right
through the evening, and no jingle IDs either, just "This is WDRC-FM
102.9, Hartford."

Both stations returned to music on Wednesday. I didn't listen to PLR
much, but DRC-FM was providing local updates and public service
announcements about blood donations and the like after every song set
instead of the usual DJ patter. This made for a few unfortunate
juxtapositions -- leading into more grim news from New York with the
Guess Who's "Laughing," with Burton Cummings cackling "ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha" in the fade-out, was particularly jarring.

The midday jock, Joan Billen (sp?), filling in for vacationing Larry
Wells, seemed a bit overwhelmed by all this, but generally kept things
moving. One bit of unintentional humor: She read the initial sketchy
reports of an arrest in Boston, then added, dramatically, that "People
behind the scenes here at DRC-FM are working hard to decipher this
information," as if the AP broadcast wire had to be processed through
the Enigma Machine before its contents could be aired.

Howard