Information AboutPeter Jennings |
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Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM ( July 29 , 1938 – August 7 , 2005 ) was a Canadian-American Journalist and News Anchor . He was the sole anchor of ABC's ''World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from Lung Cancer . A high-school dropout, he transformed himself into one of America's most prominent journalists. Jennings started his career early, hosting a Canadian radio show at the age of nine. In 1965, ABC News tapped him to anchor its flagship evening news program. His inexperience marred his first short stint in the anchor chair, and Jennings became a foreign correspondent in 1968, honing his reporting skills in the Middle East . He returned as one of ''World News Tonight'''s three anchors in 1978, and was promoted to the role of sole anchor in 1983. Jennings formed part of the "Big Three" news anchors who dominated American evening news in the 1980s and 1990s. Having always been fascinated with the United States , Jennings became a dual citizen of Canada and the United States in 2003. His death, which closely followed the retirements of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather , marked the end of the "Big Three" era. BIOGRAPHY Early life Jennings was born in '', p. S9. Retrieved on November 27 , 2006 . When he was 11, Jennings started attending , 2007 . Although Jennings dreamed of following in his father's footsteps in broadcasting, his first job was as a bank teller for the Royal Bank Of Canada . He had hoped that the company would assign him to its Havana branch; instead, it located him in the tiny town of Prescott , Ontario, before transferring him to its nearby Brockville branch. During this time, he explored acting by appearing in several amateur musical productions with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society , including '' Damn Yankees '' and '' South Pacific ''." Where are they now? ". It was in Brockville that the 21-year-old Jennings started his meteoric rise in broadcasting. In 1959, , 2006 . The next year, '', p. A01. Retrieved on November 27 , 2006 . "The job was pretty intimidating for a guy like me in a tiny city in Canada," Jennings later recalled. "I thought, What if I screw up? What if I fail?" Three months later though, he changed his mind and packed his bags for America. America's youngest anchor Jennings started reporting for ABC at its New York , 2006 . An inexperienced Jennings had a hard time keeping up with his rivals at the other networks, and he could not compete with the venerable newscasts of ''. Retrieved on November 30 , 2006 . After three rocky years at the anchor desk, Jennings called it quits and became a Foreign Correspondent . Foreign correspondent Jennings was determined to build his journalism credentials abroad. In 1968, he established ABC's Middle East bureau in , 2006 . In 1972, Jennings covered his first major breaking news story, the , 2006 . After the events of Munich, Jennings continued to report on Middle East issues. In 1973, he covered the , 2006 . Jennings returned to the U.S. at the end of 1974 to become , 2006 . In November 1975, Jennings moved abroad once again, this time as ABC's chief foreign correspondent. He continued to cover the Middle East, and in 1978 he was the first American reporter to interview the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran , then in exile in Paris . Meanwhile, ABC News and its newly installed president, , 2006 . Jennings' official title was "Foreign Desk Anchor," although he continued to serve as the network's chief foreign correspondent. By the summer of 1979, the innovative broadcast, which featured some of the same glitzy presentation as Arledge's previous television coup, '' Wide World Of Sports '', had climbed in the ratings. The newscast had gained 1.9 million households from its debut, and was now in a dead heat with NBC's evening newscast. Jennings also found renewed success in his personal life. In 1979, he married for the third time to fellow ABC correspondent Kati Marton . That same year, he became a father when Marton gave birth to their daughter, Elizabeth. In 1982, Jennings' and Marton's second child, Christopher, was born. desk on March 30 , 1981 , the day of the assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan .]] As part of ABC's triumvirate, Jennings continued to cover major international news, especially Middle East issues. His nightly appearance at an anchor desk in London gave the impression that ABC News was more dedicated to foreign news than the other networks.Schwartz, Tony (, 2006 . Sole anchor In 1983, Reynolds fell ill with , 2006 . On , 2006 . Jennings' debut on , 2006 . Despite this somewhat shaky start at the anchor desk, Jennings' broadcast began to climb in the ratings. Jennings was praised for his performance during the 1986 , 2006 . Jennings' on-air success continued in 1990, and ''World News Tonight'' consistently led the ratings race. In January, he anchored the first installment of '', 2006 . When the , 2006 . On , 2006 . Politics dominated network news in 1992. Jennings moderated the final debate among the , 2006 . The early 1990s also served up a series of rough patches for Jennings. On , 2006 . With the rise of media watchdog groups, such as the conservative , 2007 . He pleased some conservatives though, after his three-year lobbying effort to create a full-time religion correspondent at ABC News succeeded in the hiring of '', p. F1. Retrieved on December 29 , 2006 . During the mid-1990s, television critics praised Jennings for his insistence on not letting the , 2007 . Despite these critical successes, in 1996, ''World News Tonight'' started gradually slipping in the ratings race. Bolstered by strong viewership of its coverage of the , 2007 . The slide in the ratings coincided with some rockiness at ABC News. The company scrapped plans to develop a cable news channel. On , 2007 . None of the shake-ups helped Jennings retake the nightly ratings crown, but ''World News Tonight'' still offered stiff competition at second place. As the '', on the History Channel in April 1999. On , 2007 . September 11 No event tested Jennings' anchoring duties more than the ''. Retrieved on January 11 , 2007 . His coverage was not without controversy though. After conservative radio host , 2007 . The events of September 11 added new meaning to '', 2007 . His work on ''In Search of America'' and the September 11 attacks contributed to his decision in 2003 to become a , 2007 . The anchor's formal pledge of allegiance took place at a regular citizenship ceremony on May 30 in Lower Manhattan. The occasion overwhelmed him. "I went in the front door and came out the front door. They were regular people. They were very touching. And I cried a little bit — my kids didn't cry, but I cried a bit — but I'm a fairly emotional character anyway." Leaving the chair By late 2004, Brokaw had retired from his anchoring duties at NBC, ceding the reins to , 2007 . , 2005 that he has Lung Cancer in a taped message.]] In late March, viewers started noticing that Jennings' voice sounded uncharacteristically gravelly and unhealthy during evening newscasts. On , 2007 . Although he stated his intention to continue anchoring whenever possible, the message was to be his last appearance on television. Throughout the summer, , 2007 . In June, Jennings visited the ABC News headquarters, and addressed staff members in an emotional speech; he thanked Gibson for closing each broadcast with the phrase, "for Peter Jennings and all of us at ABC News." He posted another short letter of thanks on , 2007 . Death On , 2007 . On , 2007 . The Jennings family held a private service in New York, where the anchor's cremated remains were split in half. Half of his ashes remained in his home in , 2007 . On December 5 , 2005 , after much speculation, and nearly eight months after Jennings stopped anchoring, ABC named Vargas and Bob Woodruff co-anchors for ''World News Tonight''. HONORS Jennings won numerous honors throughout his career, including 16 , 2007 . Just eight days before his death, Jennings was informed that he would be awarded the , 2007 . PUBLICATIONS Articles
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