1010 On 9/11

“Did he join [the Marines] because of 9/11?” Mevorach asks Montone.

“You know, we’re not sure,” answers Montone. “But he was really mad when it happened. He said, ‘They got us on our own turf.’ It pissed him off.”

Ben Mevorach, WINS News Director

Mevorach had begun the morning of Sept. 11 differently. Since it was primary day, he knew he would be at the station late. He took his time, and was still in his home on LI when he found out about the first plane hitting the North Tower. So much for getting in late, he thought, and double-timed his routine so he could get into NYC as soon as possible.

Once in the car and listening to the reports get more serious, Mevorach began to realize that this was a big deal. Instead of heading into the newsroom, he and Mason decided Mevorach should go to the scene and provide the station with another voice. From the Long Island Expressway, Mevorach could see the smoke pouring from the building, staining the pristine blue sky to which New Yorkers had awoken that morning.

Joan Fleischer had gone up to greet the beautiful morning on the roof of her building. An account executive on the WINS sales team, she was a little behind schedule. Fleischer also had a new puppy, a fluffy Bichon named Lola, and she needed to get the little pup to do her business. With the elevator broken, she thought it would be easier to head upward. Fleischer tied on her bathrobe and went upstairs, taking her phone with her.

Fleischer is a head-turning redhead with an infectious smile and mesmerizing blue eyes. A former psychologist, she did some voice work in California before going into the sales end of radio, where she has built a solid career.

From her rooftop on North Moore Street, Fleischer was very close to the Towers. She noticed a plane flying much lower than she had ever seen in the NYC skies, and knew what was going to happen. Instead of calling the police or fire department, she called the WINS newsroom and spoke to Mason.

“As I said, ‘There’s going to be a plane crash,’ the plane tilted to the left and slammed into the building,” says Fleischer, who now works for WINS’ sister station, WCBS 880. “As I said, ‘crash,’ it hit.”

Mason did the logical thing: He called Fleischer back from a line that could be patched into the studio on the air. In Fleischer, WINS had someone from the station, albeit not a reporter, with a bird’s eye view of the carnage as it was unfolding. Had it been just a regular caller, the station would not have gone with such a live report.

Joan Fleischer, who was on the air when the first tower collapsed.

Back in the newsroom, Mason was pulling the staff together to coordinate the reports that were going out on the air. He put out a call to every WINS reporter to head to the city. He knew Montone was on the way. Mason wanted to be very careful about what went on the air.

“On that day, and even during the recovery, the media worked with a herd mentality,” says Mason, who is now vice president of digital media for CBS Radio. “If one reporter said it, then the others just followed.”

Plus, it was important to keep calm on the air.

“We knew the city would react the way we reported,” says Mevorach.

During one hour of broadcasting at WINS, there are three anchors who rotate through the chairs. That morning, James Faherty was the first to report a plane hitting the North Tower. Not long after that, Lee Harris took the anchor chair.

Harris is a throwback to the golden days of radio. He is sharply dressed in a well-pressed dark suit and blue Oxford shirt, and his tie is perfectly positioned under his collar. He stands in contrast to, say, Montone, who is dressed in a festive, floral-print shirt.

Although not large in physical stature, Harris commands respect when he speaks. He delivers every report—from a mundane announcement to major breaking news—with the same professional, level-headed baritone. Harris got in the anchor chair that morning and did not leave for about two hours.

“When a major news event is happening, we will tend to keep the same anchor on the air for continuity’s sake,” says Mevorach.

In a breaking news situation, a calm demeanor is necessary.

“There’s an intuitive reaction in most newsrooms, and this one is no different, to alert all hands and get as many [people] there as possible, even when it was still in the small plane context,” says Harris. “The big thing initially, we were going with eyewitnesses.”

At just before 9:03 a.m., Harris was on the air with a caller who was on the east side, near the Towers. Harris said the caller had a monotone delivery, with very little emotion.  In front of Harris, the television screens showed the scene live. Suddenly, the South Tower erupted into flames.