22 years ago today I was in Palm Desert, California at KESQ Newschannel 3/KDFX Fox 11/KUNA Telemundo 15. I had just started my second day after my job promotion to program director. I came in to work about 530am because I knew I was going to have a busy day settling in to my new job responsibilities in addition to my existing ones as traffic manager. I was downstairs in our master control area organizing tapes when the ABC "Net Alert" started beeping and sent an urgent message "SPECIAL REPORT AIRING NOW" and simultaneously the FOX "Fox Box" voice alert system squawked on and an intense voice from The FOX Network Operations Center came on and said "ATTENTION ALL STATIONS - STAND BY FOR A LEVEL 1 SPECIAL REPORT". Both of our stations switched to their respective networks (and I signed on our Telemundo Station which wasn't supposed to go on until 6am) and stayed with continuous network news coverage. Saw the plane hit the second tower on dozens of monitors simultaneously. I was at the station until about 8pm that night. Maintained my composure until I was driving home from work. A huge crane was placed on the side of a major road (Fred Waring Dr.) and someone had hung from 100 feet up the biggest American Flag I had ever seen - with two huge spotlights lighting it up in the nighttime desert sky. I lost it right then and there. I was lucky if I got 2 hours sleep that night.
Friends, where were you that bright yet dark September day?