This past Monday was the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was a day that every single American will remember. We all remember where we were when first hearing about the Twin Towers being hit. We all remember where we were when we first heard about the Pentagon strike. And we all remember hearing about the tragedy of Flight 93 going down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
And while we have all said “Never Forget” for over 20 years, it seems we are entering a time in history where, for some, 9/11 starts to enter the phase of “forget, but remember the big anniversaries”, i.e. the 25th, 30th, etc. I noticed that trend on cable news, sans Fox News, on Monday morning. Plus, there was President Biden, who ended up on a tarmac in Alaska on the anniversary, thousands of miles from where he should have been.
But for the talk radio listener, they truly haven’t forgotten. And making it a staple part of the show each year is something that is a “must”. And then comes the part of trying your best to localize it.
Doing a 9/11 anniversary show like you’re hosting in New York City doesn’t make sense if you’re in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, or Chicago. But given the fact that every American has a story from that day, there are several ways to localize it.
Interviews
Who can you tap into locally that can give perspective on the September 11th attacks 22 years later? In the Kansas City area, we happen to have a state representative in Missouri, Mike Haffner, who as a Commanding Officer led combat air patrols over New York City following the September 11th attacks. His storytelling of the immediate aftermath of the towers collapsing are beyond powerful and will move any listener.
Mark Morgan is the former acting director of ICE (U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement), who joined the show to discuss how border policies can impact terrorism in this country going forward. Mark began his career in law enforcement in Platte County, Missouri (a northern county in the KC metro).
Every market will have these local connections and stories, some will just be harder to dig up than others.
Callers
This can be a bit of a crap shoot (unless you know of callers/friends who have personal stories). But we all know that people like talking about themselves. And if you open the lines to your listeners to share their 9/11 story, you will likely get some compelling ones to share on air. It will take a good producer/call screener to not get every Joe Caller to start reminiscing on his run-of-the-mill story from 22 years ago, but the right caller(s), who can succinctly share something memorable for the audience, will be great radio. And do not forget, there are more New York area transplants around the country than most people realize.
Charities
Find a charity or two that you are passionate about and want to latch onto that is doing great work with First Responders around 9/11. There are national organizations with chapters in your city or just local organizations helping out in your community. There’s no right choice, but as long as they’re vetted, and you have a strong belief in their mission, it will show the charitable side of your show and station that is always appreciated by the talk audience.
Your Story
And last, but certainly not least, is your story. The show has your name on it. People want to hear from you. As a New York City metro transplant to Kansas City, my story may be a bit more personal than most, but that doesn’t matter in this case. People will want to know what you remember, where you were, and what moved you that tragic day.
The talk radio audience genuinely wants to live by “Never Forget”, so don’t give them a reason to on the 23rd anniversary of September 11th next year.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
