ABC's long-time anchor Peter Jennings is dead at 67 of lung cancer. With the retirement in the last year of both Dan Rather at CBS and Tom Brokaw at NBC, this news means that the Big Three broadcast networks have all turned over long-time anchors this year. Things have changed. But while we'll be seeing Rather and Brokaw on specials in the future, Jennings is now gone forever.
Peter Jennings: End of an Era
Here's a quote from Jennings that I always liked:
"There are a lot of people who think our job is to reassure the public every night that their home, their community and their nation is safe. I don't subscribe to that at all. I subscribe to leaving people with essentially... a rough draft of history. Some days it's reassuring, some days it's absolutely destructive."
He knew what he was talking about there. He logged more than 60 hours on-air during the week of September 11th. Yet even though his "rough draft" was absolutely destructive, coming from him, I felt reassured -- not that things were good -- but that we would get through it.
I used to watch them in this order: Jennings, Brokaw, Rather. These days I don't really have a preference. Maybe I never will again. I suppose NBC's Brian Williams with his own urbane charm is the heir to the Jennings crown -- but that will be decided later.
In 2003, Jennings -- a Canadian -- officially became a U.S. citizen. He said it had nothing to do with politics, that he did it for his family. Well, I felt like I was a small part of his family, and I appreciated the gesture.
We'll miss you. Good night, Peter.
