I was a field tech with NYTel in Southern Manhattan back then and would usually join my foreman somewhere to watch the shuttle launches. That morning I had a customer that needed my attention and had to beg off our meet-up. Spent the whole day without contact with the world and after I was done took the subway home. I had a book to read so I didn’t bother getting a newspaper.
When I arrived at my apartment, I turned on the TV and was surprised to see the shuttle lifting off. “There must have been a delay”, I thought and figured I was lucky to have turned on the TV when I did. I sat down and watched and saw the explosion and the smoking debris arcing in the sky. At first I thought it was the boosters separating ....but then it sank in. I also started to realize that there was no commentary, no audio coming over the TV. After a time an announcer came on and bit by bit I learned what had happened that morning. Not sure how long I sat there, just stunned.
CORRECTION:
At that time I was working for ATTIS, not NYTel....everything was still in chaos after the break-up of the Bell System.