Where Were You...?

Twenty years ago today I was the News Director at a small radio station in Oklahoma City. I had finished that morning's drive time news when I heard the AP wire services dot-matrix printer come to life.

I walked over, expecting to see news of a succesful launch of the space shuttle Challenger...and I did! Someone at AP had pre-written a news item declaring the launch a success. When the first 60 seconds of the launch appeared routine, they apparently pushed the "Send" button and the story hit the wires.

A minute or so later, I heard the printer's alarm bell ringing--the signal for an important breaking news flash. Of course, as we know, the launch was not a success. I quickly wrote a news story and we broke into regular progamming for a report.

Somewhere in the attic I have a photo album which contains those faded AP wire service reports, along the copy I wrote.