On Sept. 11, 2001, after the deadliest terrorist attack on the U.S. in history, Variety reporters and editors swung into action to put out the daily paper. This was the lede on the multi-bylined top story in the Sept. 12 edition of Daily Variety: “It was the day the world stopped. The real world and the play world.” Variety’s first print edition following the attacks ran 20 pages, mostly stocked with coverage of the day’s events and their aftershocks.
The issue was fronted by a banner headline reading, “The Mourning After.” The report in Daily Variety said “casualties from terrorist bombings were estimated at more than 10,000.” The death toll would later be revealed as lower than initial estimates: The Sept. 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, with 2,606 of those deaths at the World Trade Center towers. Tim Gray, one of Variety’s managing editors at the time and now executive VP of the Golden Globes, said his main recollection was of the staff’s dedication. It happened from the moment staffers raced to the office that morning, knowing that day would be unlike any other they had experienced covering the business.
Because of the time difference, reporters and editors in Los Angeles got to work early that morning and immediately began calling sources and figuring out how Hollywood and the entertainment business would be immediately impacted. Reporters worked on multiple stories at the same time, sharing bylines and contributing tags throughout the edition. And it didn’t take long for the biz to react: By 11:25 a.m.
PT, CBS and the Television Academy had already sent this email: “We are watching this tragedy unfold on television with everyone else today with the deepest sadness. Therefore, out of respect to the victims, their families and our fellow citizens, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the CBS Television Network will postpone The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. We will announce the new date of our awards show at the appropriate time.” (The Emmys was ultimately rescheduled — and then postponed again due to military action, and finally took place in November.) The Sept. 12 Daily Variety issue included an on-the-ground report from New York City, after the Twin Towers were reduced to a smoldering pile of debris when terrorists crashed a pair of airliners into the buildings.
All told, there were 17 stories and columns about the 9/11 attacks in the issue. Those included one about the postponement of the 2001 Emmys (originally skedded for Sunday, Sept. 16, and eventually moved to Nov. 4) and the cancellation of the Latin Grammys; an article about how the 2001 fall TV season schedule was “in limbo” given wall-to-wall news coverage of 9/11; and one reporting that the Toronto International Film Festival “ground to a halt Tuesday as attendees huddled in horror and amazement around large TV screens in hotel lobbies, watching the terrible events unfold in the U.S.” The issue also featured a piece about how studios were rethinking release dates for movies in the wake of the attacks — including Warner Bros.’ terrorist-themed “Collateral Damage,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which had been set for an Oct. 5 bow. (WB released “Collateral Damage” on Feb. 8, 2002. The movie — with an estimated $85 million budget — was a flop; Variety reported that the “pricey thriller grossed a lackluster $40 million” domestically.) And then there were the notable Hollywood figures who died in the attacks, including “Frasier” co-creator David Angell and his wife, Lynn.
PT, publisher Charlie Koones and editor-in-chief Peter Bart put out a joint e-mail to staff, with the subject line “Today’s Events and Our Activities”: “Given the tragic situations in New York and Washington, we will not put out the Gotham Edition for tomorrow. It is our intent to deliver the Daily in LA as scheduled. During this difficult time, we ask that you use your best judgement in balancing the needs of personal safety, family and work.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
