• by September 14, 2001

On this day of mourning it seems inappropriate to even think about anything other than the lives that were lost and the families and friends that were forever affected by Tuesday's catastrophes. But everywhere you turn there's talk of hope and the need to go on. Carefully and compassionately.

This week, the media outlets that are generally interested in ad dollars above all else, reminded us all that they are made of people, and people matter far more than doing business. Most broadcast stations forgot about making money and dedicated themselves to commercial-free coverage of the 9-11 aftermath. Many websites committed their ad space to running public service announcements and Red Cross banners. Newspapers and magazines devoted huge amounts of space to disaster coverage. Commerce, marketing, advertising and business in general have been almost forgotten.

The media outlets have taken an enormous commercial hit and it will be a long wait until they recover and we all fully return to the business of buying and selling ads. Impractical as it may sound, right now I'm just really glad no one has dared to utter the word "makegood."

But business is business and soon the discussion of makegoods will undoubtedly make up a large percentage of advertising- related communications. And eventually all issues will get resolved.

My only hope is that advertisers understand that the media outlets will need all the help they can get following this disaster. They selflessly brought us round-the-clock coverage of the world collapsing around us and, at the very least, deserve our patience and sympathy as they themselves recover.

As we get back on our feet, let's all remember that businesses are made up of people and as people we all lost something this week. Something that can never be measured in, or made up for in ad dollars.