REICH COMMUNICATIONS

9/11 20 Years!

Hard to believe it's been 20 years since that horrendous day.  In many ways, it still seems so recent.    

I was having a cup of coffee before settling in for work. The window was wide open, since it was such a beautiful day outside.  I heard a plane go by and it seemed awfully low, to the point where I got up and looked out the window,.  Not in fear, but just curiosity.

A few minutes later I got a call from my sister in Boston, asking if I was ok.  She told me the news.  A plane hitting the World Trade Center?  Probably a small private plane.  I put the radio on and heard it was a jetliner.  A horrible accident, I figured.  That changed when, 18 minutes later, another plane hit the other tower.

From my window I could see the ugly black plume of smoke rising downtown.  I went to the office down the hall, where I had a view of the towers.  From that window, I watched in disbelief as one tower disappeared.  I slumped against the wall as I realized my eyes had just watched thousands of people die in that instant.

It was a surreal time..for weeks after.  I'd look up nervously every time heard a plane overhead.  I'd reluctantly get on the commuter train twice a day, wondering if another attack -- on the transit system, this time-- would be the way my life would end, in a dark tunnel under Park Avenue.  Or would it happen with an attack on a mall or movie theater in the suburbs, where we had previously felt safe and immune from the risks of big city living.

Twenty years later, it still hurts.  My wonderful city was punched in the gut.  We've come back and life has returned to some sort of new normal. But we don't forget.  We never will.

Here's what a colleague, Tony Rossi, communications director for my client The Christophers, wrote...

 

On September 11^th, 2001, The Christophers’ headquarters was in midtown Manhattan, so I took the subway to the Rockefeller Center stop and walked through the building’s lower level. Outside a newsstand stood a large crowd, staring at a TV screen on which the Today Show aired video of the first plane hitting one of the Twin Towers. There was confusion as to whether the crash was an accident, but to me it looked like a deliberate hit.

When I got to The Christophers’ office a few blocks away, the second plane had hit, and everyone knew this was no accident. Our staff was told we should make our way home. Subways shut down because no one knew if more attacks were coming, so walking was the only option. Being that I lived in Queens, I headed toward the 59^th Street Bridge with several co-workers. We quickly discovered the streets were jammed with thousands of other New Yorkers trekking to their homes as well. Though everyone undoubtedly felt shaken, the crowd’s mood was peaceful, friendly, and supportive. There was a unique feeling of mass solidarity.

None of us were fully aware of the hell that was unfolding downtown because these were still the days of flip phones, not streaming smartphones. Your best source of news on the go was a transistor radio. As everyone walked over the bridge, I heard a plane flying overhead and grew nervous that it was another terrorist, who would fly into the bridge. Thankfully, it was a military jet protecting the city. Arriving home safely that day was a massive relief, a relief that many others wouldn’t feel because their lives had been extinguished in an act of hate.

On this 20^th anniversary of 9/11, I can’t help but think of the dead, but also of the ways in which we choose to live. Specifically, the prayer of Father Mychal Judge, the FDNY chaplain killed on the ground while ministering to survivors, comes to mind: “Lord, take me where You want me to go, let me meet who You want me to meet, tell me what You want me to say, and keep me out of Your way.”

And to his prayer, I add one I wrote myself to commemorate the day: “Giver of Life, on this day, we remember and pray for all the souls who died due to the shocking acts of violence committed on September 11th, 2001: the innocents on the planes and at work in the Twin Towers and Pentagon, the heroic passengers onboard Flight 93, and the selfless first responders who, while trying to save lives, lost their own, either on that day or in the ensuing years from 9/11-related illnesses.

“Lord, we pray also for the families and friends the victims of 9/11 left behind. Though their grief might have eased over time, the hole in their lives remains. Help them find joy in the memories of their loved ones, not just sadness at their absence.

“Finally, Prince of Peace, guide us to live as people of peace, grounded in Your command to love God and our neighbors above all else. It is easy to succumb to the temptations of anger and hatred when wrongs are committed against us. But these all-consuming emotions lead to a dead end. Help us instead to find the beauty and goodness You placed in this world and to follow the words of Scripture: ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Amen.”

   

 

 

 

 

Some good news for newspapers

Newspapers continue to struggle with ways to monetize their online content.

The internet almost killed papers years ago, as their classified ads sections, which had been goldmines, disappeared when free online sites like Craigslist siphoned away their small but lucrative ads.

As print newspaper readership dropped, many found it harder to maintain lucrative display ads. Retailers experimented with online ads, and many consumer product marketers had already migrated over to TV, with its mass audiences.

Early attempts to monetize their news content proved tricky and futile, since consumers, especially younger ones, were reluctant to pay for what they had been getting for free for so long.

Some papers are finding a solution, even if a partial one. The New York Times last month announced plans to begin charging a subscription fee for since of its newsletters, like those offering news and political analysis.

And now some papers that have cut back or even totally eliminated print editions are planning to revive them, online, as newsletters sent to opt-in paying subscribers. The Spokane Spokesman- Review, for example, will be bringing back the defunct evening paper, the Daily Chronicle, as a paid online newsletter. When that paper closed in 1992, its daily circ was less than 20,000, from a peak of 72,000 in the 60s.

With people now hungry for local news, digital subscriptions are up to 10,000 after less than 2 months.

There are similar stories in other cities. Many newspapers continue to struggle, but I'll take any good news I can get when it comes to the newspaper business.

Shana tova

Lou Grant

 

Four Years

I still miss her smile, her stories, her love of animals and her sweetness.

 

New York State of Mind...always

I love working and living in New York, my home.

Check out this musical tribute...

The New York Times - Hardly "Failing"

 

Despite name-calling from a past president, The New York Times seems to be doing very well, thank you.

The paper reported last week that it has nearly 8 million subscribers and it expects to exceed 8.5 million by year-end and 10 million by 2025.  Revenues and profits were higher than expected, as digital subscriptions are helping make up for declines in print advertising. Overall advertising in The Times rose by 66 percent as marketers are returning to pre-pandemic levels.

It's a good sign that people DO care about news and accurate reporting, even after the previous administration continually tried to undermine legitimate news organizations.  Investigative reporting by The Times and other major news organizations like The Washington Post, major-city dailies and the broadcast networks are uncovering abuses from the previous administration, while helping keep our current leaders focused and straight.

That's the way it's supposed to work, and that's good news.

Happy Birthday to an American Icon

Today is Tony Bennett's birthday -- 95 and still swinging.  

I've seen him perform a couple of times and I met him briefly about 4 years ago when he attended a show at Dizzy's Club honoring conga master Candido on his 90th.  Candido was his percussionist-of-choice for many of his recordings and they've been longtime friends.

Thanks for all the great tunes, Tony. 

Click here for a couple of songs by Tony, from a 1981 Carnegie Hall concert.

What We Do: Covering Driver Education

I'm in Knoxville with ADTSEA, the American Driver Training & Safety Education Association.  I serve on the Board of the group, which  is here for its annual conference.

I interested the local CBS TV station in doing a story about ADTSEA.  The station sent a reporter and I helped her frame the story, getting some interviews lined up for her.

 

It ran on the local news twice last night, using some footage from PSAs I gave the reporter from client The National Road Safety Foundation.

Click here to see the 2-1/2 minute clip.

 

What We Do: Saluting Driver EducationTeachers of Excellence

 

I'm heading down to Knoxville, Tennessee Friday for the annual meeting of ADTSEA, the American Driver Training & Safety Education Association. 

I'm proud to say I'm on the Executive Board of the group, and I'll also be representing client The National Road Safety Foundation when I present the Teacher Excellence Award to three outstanding driver education teachers next week.

More to come....