BBC gears up for 9/11; to air special 'Attack on the Wires'

BBC gears up for 9/11; to air special 'Attack on the Wires'

BBC

NEW DELHI: In the run-up to the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack, BBC World is looking at the event from another perspective. When terrorists flew two airliners into the World Trade Centre last year, they struck at the heart of the densest cluster of communication networks on the planet. How close did long-distance communication come to a global meltdown?

That is what BBC World will be examining in its special Attack On The Wires on Saturday, 7 September at 3:00 am and on 7:00 am, 1:00 pm & 7:00 pm and on Sunday 8 September at 8:00 am and Monday 9 September at 5:00 am and 3:00 pm. 

BBC World will be providing extensive coverage from around the world to mark the first anniversary of the attacks on the US last 11 September. BBC World will be anchoring the day's main news output from New York with Jane Hill and Kirsty Lang both live from 'Ground Zero'. Co-anchored news will come from Washington, the location of the BBC's largest foreign news bureau and site of one of the attacks last September, while Lyse Doucet will provide the local perspective from Kabul throughout the day, according to a press release issued by BBC today here.

BBC World will be using a network of correspondents to cover the ceremony which will begin at 08:46 at 'Ground Zero'. The ceremony is set to last for 102 minutes, the exact length of time between the impact of the first plane and the collapse of the second tower. The day will start with a bagpipe procession from each of the five boroughs that will honour the rescue workers killed.

BBC World will be providing a mix of 11 September - related news including coverage of live events, an interactive debate with viewers, the hard-hitting interview programme, Hardtalk with Tim Sebastian, as well as the channel's regular business, sport and general news offering. BBC World will give viewers an international perspective with coverage from key locations around the world including Jon Sopel in Paris, Tristana Moore in Berlin, Orla Guerin in Jerusalem and Paul Wood in Cairo.

A new interactive segment hosted in London by BBC World news anchor, Nik Gowing, at key points during the day will allow viewers to send in their comments via e-mail, text message, telephone and fax. Using the BBC's recently launched international-facing website www.bbcnews.com, viewers will be able to send in their comments and access in-depth analysis of the consequences of last year's attacks. 

In the fortnight running up to 11 September, BBC World will also air specially commissioned news features related to the US attacks. These will include a series of one to one interviews with world leaders, including Vladimir Putin.