Todd Pettengill was On-Air for 11 Hours on 9/11

[chazraps]

TW: Death, Terrorism, Graphic Audio Descriptions

So, I saw on IG Todd had written his annual 9/11 post, and the comments were flooded with people talking about how important his broadcast on 9/11 was to them. I knew he was a longtime morning radio guy in the NYC/NJ area for WPLJ 95.5, and I guess the thought never occurred to me that he would have been on-air on September 11th. So, I looked it up and he and morning partner Scott stayed on-air for 11 hours straight. The calm way he got information out and spoke with callers, pretty incredible.

I know a lot of the 90s WWF fans razz him from time to time for his persona during the transitional New Generation era, but this excerpt below is pretty harrowing and incredible to be able to do. Taking in callers on the absolute worst day of their lives with no way to prepare for it. It's very sobering.



The full thing is apparently in the Paley Center for Media archives - www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=all&p=466&item=R:24132

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxDad5uLIAs

[Gunhaver]

I did not know this. Incredible stuff. It really speaks to his and his co-host's professionalism that they could maintain for that long during a crisis. That's war reporter stuff.

[Paul]

Thanks for sharing this. I find re-visiting these kinds of events with the "live as it happened" coverage really fascinating.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Sept 11, 2023 15:16:21 GMT -5 Paul said:

Thanks for sharing this. I find re-visiting these kinds of events with the "live as it happened" coverage really fascinating.

Here’s another

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Sept 11, 2023 17:53:38 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

Sept 11, 2023 15:16:21 GMT -5 Paul said:

Thanks for sharing this. I find re-visiting these kinds of events with the "live as it happened" coverage really fascinating.

Here’s another

Apparently this only aired in Canada and very few New York markets, most had already made the switch to live coverage.

[ace]

Sept 11, 2023 17:58:16 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

Sept 11, 2023 17:53:38 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

Here’s another

Apparently this only aired in Canada and very few New York markets, most had already made the switch to live coverage.

Most of the country was deprived of the reassurance of having the event explained to them by Gelman.

[J. Hova]

Ugh, Todd and his fake announcer voice. Good on him and Scott for being standup guys. On the anniversary, I always watch some of the different recaps and docs on the events of that day. I can't believe what some of the media personalities did those days. Peter Jennings immediately springs to mind for his super human efforts that week.

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

Sept 11, 2023 17:53:38 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

Sept 11, 2023 15:16:21 GMT -5 Paul said:

Thanks for sharing this. I find re-visiting these kinds of events with the "live as it happened" coverage really fascinating.

Here’s another

reminds me of the today show clip where they’re interviewing someone and they seem slightly irritated they aren’t getting more time, then you see the world change entirely

[salz4life]

There were a lot of EXCELLENT radio shows on that day. Howard Stern's show was extremely well done. The first hour or so was the normal schtick and even after the first plane hit there was some usual hi-jinks, but once the second plan hit, everything changed and it was a really informative helpful show.

[Scooterdust]

I remember this, I was a senior in high school in NYC (Queens) that shared fields with Queens College (where I would end up the following year). Listening to the radio was all I had in the mornings on my city bus ride and it was either Z100 (Elvis Duran), K-Rock 92.3 (Stern), or PLJ (Pettengill and Scott Shannon).

The Queens College quad (at the time) had the most idyllic view of a Manhattan skyline, specifically the Towers, and given that the school year had just started, I remember the exact moment when I heard the news. It was 9:33 AM, I was in gym, they weren't letting us change, I was sitting at the top of the bleachers, and out of everything going on in the gym, I focus in on the teachers at the bottom of the bleachers, and I can make out exactly what they said to each other down to the inflection: "A plane crashed into the Twin Towers."

The rest of the day was just off the rails after that, not as in things going crazy, but more like a school of 2,000 students figuring out how to process what just happened in their city. That day, any student was allowed to use any of the office phones if they were concerned about a loved one. I was one of them, and fortunately, my concern was eased. I can remember my friends breaking down about the mere possibility of losing their loved ones without hearing any news or getting through to them to see if they were okay.

We just drifted from class to class, because we weren't students and teachers that day, we were just human, people, we were New Yorkers trying to help each other understand the nature of what happened.

My day that year would end around 1:30 PM, and what did I do? I went to join the masses gathered on the Queens College quad, and view that skyline, which now was that stack of smoke, and who was in my ears? PLJ. Todd and Scott Shannon, I always felt that they had the best understanding of New York City, and as we all looked on, we weren't looking to simply look, we were watching to send out as much as positivity as possible, as much strength as possible, as much hope as possible, and thanks to PLJ, many New Yorkers had a sound voice to help guide them to give all that.

[fw91]

Sept 12, 2023 15:44:58 GMT -5 Scooterdust said:

I remember this, I was a senior in high school in NYC (Queens) that shared fields with Queens College (where I would end up the following year). Listening to the radio was all I had in the mornings on my city bus ride and it was either Z100 (Elvis Duran), K-Rock 92.3 (Stern), or PLJ (Pettengill and Scott Shannon).

The Queens College quad (at the time) had the most idyllic view of a Manhattan skyline, specifically the Towers, and given that the school year had just started, I remember the exact moment when I heard the news. It was 9:33 AM, I was in gym, they weren't letting us change, I was sitting at the top of the bleachers, and out of everything going on in the gym, I focus in on the teachers at the bottom of the bleachers, and I can make out exactly what they said to each other down to the inflection: "A plane crashed into the Twin Towers."

The rest of the day was just off the rails after that, not as in things going crazy, but more like a school of 2,000 students figuring out how to process what just happened in their city. That day, any student was allowed to use any of the office phones if they were concerned about a loved one. I was one of them, and fortunately, my concern was eased. I can remember my friends breaking down about the mere possibility of losing their loved ones without hearing any news or getting through to them to see if they were okay.

We just drifted from class to class, because we weren't students and teachers that day, we were just human, people, we were New Yorkers trying to help each other understand the nature of what happened.

My day that year would end around 1:30 PM, and what did I do? I went to join the masses gathered on the Queens College quad, and view that skyline, which now was that stack of smoke, and who was in my ears? PLJ. Todd and Scott Shannon, I always felt that they had the best understanding of New York City, and as we all looked on, we weren't looking to simply look, we were watching to send out as much as positivity as possible, as much strength as possible, as much hope as possible, and thanks to PLJ, many New Yorkers had a sound voice to help guide them to give all that.

Townsend Harris alum?

I went to RFK which was Townsend's old building. Went to QC for undergrad and even student taught at Townsend.

[Scooterdust]

Sept 12, 2023 16:16:50 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Sept 12, 2023 15:44:58 GMT -5 Scooterdust said:

I remember this, I was a senior in high school in NYC (Queens) that shared fields with Queens College (where I would end up the following year). Listening to the radio was all I had in the mornings on my city bus ride and it was either Z100 (Elvis Duran), K-Rock 92.3 (Stern), or PLJ (Pettengill and Scott Shannon).

The Queens College quad (at the time) had the most idyllic view of a Manhattan skyline, specifically the Towers, and given that the school year had just started, I remember the exact moment when I heard the news. It was 9:33 AM, I was in gym, they weren't letting us change, I was sitting at the top of the bleachers, and out of everything going on in the gym, I focus in on the teachers at the bottom of the bleachers, and I can make out exactly what they said to each other down to the inflection: "A plane crashed into the Twin Towers."

The rest of the day was just off the rails after that, not as in things going crazy, but more like a school of 2,000 students figuring out how to process what just happened in their city. That day, any student was allowed to use any of the office phones if they were concerned about a loved one. I was one of them, and fortunately, my concern was eased. I can remember my friends breaking down about the mere possibility of losing their loved ones without hearing any news or getting through to them to see if they were okay.

We just drifted from class to class, because we weren't students and teachers that day, we were just human, people, we were New Yorkers trying to help each other understand the nature of what happened.

My day that year would end around 1:30 PM, and what did I do? I went to join the masses gathered on the Queens College quad, and view that skyline, which now was that stack of smoke, and who was in my ears? PLJ. Todd and Scott Shannon, I always felt that they had the best understanding of New York City, and as we all looked on, we weren't looking to simply look, we were watching to send out as much as positivity as possible, as much strength as possible, as much hope as possible, and thanks to PLJ, many New Yorkers had a sound voice to help guide them to give all that.

Townsend Harris alum?

I went to RFK which was Townsend's old building. Went to QC for undergrad and even student taught at Townsend.

John Bowne alumnus 99-02, and did student teaching that year at PS 201 right next it on Main, then was at QC 2002-2008, and coincidentally enough, I also went for teaching in Childhood Education and did my student teaching at PS 101 in Forest Hills PS 209 in Whitestone.

[Toilet Paper Roll]

Still can’t bring myself to go back and watch or listen to any of this.

[fw91]

Sept 13, 2023 15:01:01 GMT -5 Scooterdust said:

Sept 12, 2023 16:16:50 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Townsend Harris alum?

I went to RFK which was Townsend's old building. Went to QC for undergrad and even student taught at Townsend.

John Bowne alumnus 99-02, and did student teaching that year at PS 201 right next it on Main, then was at QC 2002-2008, and coincidentally enough, I also went for teaching in Childhood Education and did my student teaching at PS 101 in Forest Hills PS 209 in Whitestone.

John Bowne. Forgot. Although I think 201 is on Kisseena blvd, and 219(Paul Klapper) was next to it at main. I did PE though at QC. In the class that graduated a year behind Wendy Choo. Wasn't friends with her, but saw her around the QC gym building a few times.

[Scooterdust]

Sept 13, 2023 15:51:29 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Sept 13, 2023 15:01:01 GMT -5 Scooterdust said:

John Bowne alumnus 99-02, and did student teaching that year at PS 201 right next it on Main, then was at QC 2002-2008, and coincidentally enough, I also went for teaching in Childhood Education and did my student teaching at PS 101 in Forest Hills PS 209 in Whitestone.

John Bowne. Forgot. Although I think 201 is on Kisseena blvd, and 219(Paul Klapper) was next to it at main. I did PE though at QC. In the class that graduated a year behind Wendy Choo. Wasn't friends with her, but saw her around the QC gym building a few times.

You are right, my senior year of HS student teaching was at 219, I don't know why I put 201, I guess my brain crossed 101 and 209.

Not sure if I had any notable names during my time there, but my choice of co-degree was Media Studies, and in fact, the only person that I impressed (that wasn't family) by telling them I went to QC was, ironically enough, Fran Drescher herself in 2006 when I was ushering a performance of Neil LaBute's "Some Girl(s)" during its 1-month NYC run,(I did this as a favor for an ex who had a professor who was friends with LaBute, I still regret not being able to smack him for The Wicker Man, the play had an all-star cast though, Eric McCormack, Maura Tierney, Brooke Smith, & Judy Reyes as well, not to mention an almost unrecognizable Drescher), and she liked the fact I went to QC so much, she asked me to walk her dog. I'd say that's the only time mentioning QC got me anything remotely worth anything.

[fw91]

Sept 13, 2023 16:32:02 GMT -5 Scooterdust said:

Sept 13, 2023 15:51:29 GMT -5 fw91 said:

John Bowne. Forgot. Although I think 201 is on Kisseena blvd, and 219(Paul Klapper) was next to it at main. I did PE though at QC. In the class that graduated a year behind Wendy Choo. Wasn't friends with her, but saw her around the QC gym building a few times.

You are right, my senior year of HS student teaching was at 219, I don't know why I put 201, I guess my brain crossed 101 and 209.

Not sure if I had any notable names during my time there, but my choice of co-degree was Media Studies, and in fact, the only person that I impressed (that wasn't family) by telling them I went to QC was, ironically enough, Fran Drescher herself in 2006 when I was ushering a performance of Neil LaBute's "Some Girl(s)" during its 1-month NYC run,(I did this as a favor for an ex who had a professor who was friends with LaBute, I still regret not being able to smack him for The Wicker Man, the play had an all-star cast though, Eric McCormack, Maura Tierney, Brooke Smith, & Judy Reyes as well, not to mention an almost unrecognizable Drescher), and she liked the fact I went to QC so much, she asked me to walk her dog. I'd say that's the only time mentioning QC got me anything remotely worth anything.

Teaching degrees from there carry weight. When I entered the new teacher finder years ago I got quite a few calls from principals interested in hiring me because they saw QC on my resume'.


SORRY FOR GOING OFF TOPIC MODS. Not everyday here I meet someone from my neck of the woods in Queens.