Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

[FORD]

April 5, 2005, 11:08AM

Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

By MIKE McDANIEL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle


Peter Jennings, sole anchor of ABC News since 1983, told colleagues and friends in an e-mail today that he has lung cancer.

"As you all know, this is a challenge,'' Jennings wrote. "I begin chemo-therapy next week. I will continue to do the broadcast. There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky!''

"He will begin outpatient treatment next week here in New York,'' said ABC News executive David Westin. "It's both Peter's and my expectation that he will anchor World News Tonight during the period of treatment to the extent he can do so comfortably; but, we should also expect him to be off the broadcast from time to time, depending on how he feels.''

Jennings, 66, has been feeling ill for the past several months and was replaced Saturday on coverage of the pope's death by anchor Charles Woodruff. He last anchored World News Tonight on Friday.

Charles Gibson, who's in Rome for the pope's funeral, and Elizabeth Vargas will be Jennings' primary substitutes on the evening news.

Jennings first anchored ABC's evening newscast for two years in the 1960s, and was a Europe-based correspondent for the network after that. He started again as an anchor as ABC tried a multi-anchor format starting in 1978, then took over the broadcast himself in 1983.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[steve]

Chemo is a bitch.
He should take a load off, sit down in a chair, and perhaps just read the news off a teleprompter for a while as his energy will be low.
No more heavy investigative journalism.

[Nickdfresh]

I saw this earlier. It's too bad, he's my favorite anchorman.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
I saw this earlier. It's too bad, he's my favorite anchorman.

Hell, he's the only one left who's not on the BCE payroll.

[Phil theStalker]

Re: Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

Originally posted by FORD
Peter Jennings, sole anchor of ABC News since 1983, told colleagues Jennings, 66, has been feeling ill for the past several months

he's been around those depleted uranium zones

[FORD]

Re: Re: Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

Originally posted by Phil theStalker
he's been around those depleted uranium zones

You mean the ones in Iraq, or the ones in Manhattan?

Of course the fact that he used to be a heavy smoker probably didn't help either. Not sure whether he still is or not.

[Jesterstar]

Re: Re: Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

Originally posted by Phil theStalker
he's been around those depleted uranium zones

Funny that people still have faith in anyone in the National News.

[FORD]

Re: Re: Re: Peter Jennings diagnosed with lung cancer

Originally posted by Jesterstar
Funny that people still have faith in anyone in the National News.

Pete's the last one I have any respect for at all. He'll still read the crap that his Disney corporate bosses put on his teleprompter, but he's found subtle ways of communicating whether he thinks a particular story is bullshit.

And with Brokaw and Rather being replaced by hard core right wingers, Jennings was all there was to network news. The cable channels were already useless.

Ted Turner needs to get CNN out of AOL's hands and if he doesn't want to run it himself, sell it to a group of liberal investors, so there can at least be one national network that challenges the BCE spin.

[vanzilla]

FORD, Jest - I've got to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I know how you feel about the mainstream media, and I agree with you on many points, but not on this one.

I met Peter back in 1996 at the Kentucky Derby. I was lucky enough to actually have a conversation with him, as opposed to an interview. He gave me good advice on how to further my career in the biz. Keep in mind - this was a time when I wanted to quit TV all together. He gave me his card and told me to mail him a tape so he could critique it. I mailed him one 2 days later. One week later he writes me back with advice. He didn't have to do that.

The next year, Peter's former producer - Steve Tello (now the VP of Fox Sports Net, then the GM of the WB affilate) hired me in Nashville. Peter gave me a recommendation.

I owe him a lot. He didn't have to help out a 24 year old reporter, but he did. He said he owes it to the profession to help out as many young newsmen as he could. Peter Jennings is a class act. I hope he makes a full recovery.

[Jesterstar]

Originally posted by vanzilla
FORD, Jest - I've got to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I know how you feel about the mainstream media, and I agree with you on many points, but not on this one.

I met Peter back in 1996 at the Kentucky Derby. I was lucky enough to actually have a conversation with him, as opposed to an interview. He gave me good advice on how to further my career in the biz. Keep in mind - this was a time when I wanted to quit TV all together. He gave me his card and told me to mail him a tape so he could critique it. I mailed him one 2 days later. One week later he writes me back with advice. He didn't have to do that.

The next year, Peter's former producer - Steve Tello (now the VP of Fox Sports Net, then the GM of the WB affilate) hired me in Nashville. Peter gave me a recommendation.

I owe him a lot. He didn't have to help out a 24 year old reporter, but he did. He said he owes it to the profession to help out as many young newsmen as he could. Peter Jennings is a class act. I hope he makes a full recovery.

With all due respect. Him helping you out professionally was a good thing for you. Doesn't make the news he reports any more legit.

[Warham]

Are we talking about the ABC/DNC network?

[DrMaddVibe]

Originally posted by vanzilla
FORD, Jest - I've got to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I know how you feel about the mainstream media, and I agree with you on many points, but not on this one.

I met Peter back in 1996 at the Kentucky Derby. I was lucky enough to actually have a conversation with him, as opposed to an interview. He gave me good advice on how to further my career in the biz. Keep in mind - this was a time when I wanted to quit TV all together. He gave me his card and told me to mail him a tape so he could critique it. I mailed him one 2 days later. One week later he writes me back with advice. He didn't have to do that.

The next year, Peter's former producer - Steve Tello (now the VP of Fox Sports Net, then the GM of the WB affilate) hired me in Nashville. Peter gave me a recommendation.

I owe him a lot. He didn't have to help out a 24 year old reporter, but he did. He said he owes it to the profession to help out as many young newsmen as he could. Peter Jennings is a class act. I hope he makes a full recovery.

That's a cool story. I bumped into him at an auto plant where Clinton was appearing and he seemed above it all. He had a guy lighting his smokes and another girl running out for his meals and drinks. I'm glad that you posted this because it evens out the picture that he "painted" in my memory.

[flappo]

i need a drink

[FORD]

Originally posted by Warham
Are we talking about the ABC/DNC network?

If by "DNC" you mean the Disney Nazi Corporation, yes.

[aesop]

Originally posted by FORD
If by "DNC" you mean the Disney Nazi Corporation, yes.

Ahhh... Good 'Ole supply and demand wins again. If only Air America were on TV 24x7 to balance out the Right Wing NBC and CBS (I'm laughing my ass off right now!). You can't be serious?

I lost all respect for PJ when he claimed his job was to present the news in a way 'regular people' could understand it, and that he could explain what the news 'actually means'... That not your job there, Peter. Leave it to a Canadian liberal to think that's his 'duty' is to help all of us stupid dipshits understand the highly complex and complicated 6 o'clock news! Gimme a break.