I never watch TV, at least not since I moved to Boulder in 1999. I own a television, but I don’t have cable because I know it would be such a distraction that I would never get anything done. (“Oh look, an old Bulls game is on ESPN Classic.”) And because I live near the mountains, reception for traditional TV is rotten. I can only barely pick up ABC and NBC.
Even on the morning of September 11, I got all my news from radio and the web. It wasn’t until I went downstairs for lunch that I turned on the television and saw the horror of the Twin Towers collapsing. At which point I immediately lost it and didn’t go back to my office the rest of the day.
I watched Peter Jennings nonstop for the next 12 hours. I remember being impressed with his professionalism and he had a calming effect on me. He also was obviously very tired, and a couple of times I heard a hitch in his voice which sounded to me like he was about to lose it too (though nothing like what happened to Dan Rather on David Letterman a few days later). But in spite of all the chaos and heartbreak, he was on his game.
Peter Jennings’ work on September 11 is the only positive memory I have of that awful day. I’m sorry to hear he’s left us.