Kevin's Watch

I just saw CNN report that ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings has died from lung cancer.

For what it's worth, I've admired and respected Jennings more so than the other anchors through the years that I've tuned into network news. I'll miss him and his style.

Wow. Had he been sick for a while? Didn't know he was sick.

He was diagnosed earlier this year. It was apparently a virulent strain of cancer, so the chances were slim that he'd make it through.

Truly sad. Jennings was a familiar constant in our lives. He will be missed.

As a child growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee, only one television channel was available - an ABC station from Knoxville. Every evening at 6:30pm, my mother would sit down to watch World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Looking back on it now, maybe she just liked looking at him (it was often said that Jennings had a James Bond appearance.) What I remember was that he was the only source of news for us for many years. I no longer watch the network news (I prefer CNN and FoxNews now) but I'm sad to see Jennings die so young (only 67 years old.) He was the last of the Big 3 anchors (Jennings, Brokaw and Rather.) It's the end of an era.

Godspeed, Peter Jennings.

Good Morning America did a nice two hour tribute to Jennings this morning. A couple of tidbits I found interesting:

Although a high school drop-out, Jennings made a point of really touring a country and talking with the citizens of the area when he was on foreign assignment. He wanted to be a student of the world, and felt exposure to various locals and cultures was the way for him to learn.

Jennings became an American citizen in 2003, and was ecstatic and giddy over his first time voting in an American Presidential election in 2004. No one ever suspected it would be his only time voting in an American Presidential election...

He was worthy of respect. RIP Peter Jennings.

Only news anchor I ever liked. Peace.

I liked him better in the field than as anchor--yet, for me, he was easily the easier of the network anchors to watch--to some degree I've always equated him with Mel Gibson's reporter in The Year of Living Dangerously rather than Graham Greene's seedy international journalists (Our Man in Havana, i.e.). It was fun watching him anchor a highly sensitive story-You knew there was that wry look in his eyes, and he knew it too and struggled very hard to control it.

I guess a fair number of people are quitting smoking after hearing of his demise.

From what I understand of his view on tobacco, I think he would smile to see that.

Watched ABC's 2-hour retrospective of Jennings--and it was a solid two hours without commercial interruption! That's a rare thing.

I enjoyed it. The program tried not to become maudlin, and I think it mostly succeeded. It's a good overview of Jennings's career and significant stories he did.