:(

DA will probably know - is this the first time a sitting anchor has passed away? (I know he hasn't been on-air, but it was still the ABC News w/ Peter Jennings)

When I first heard about it, I felt sad.

RIP, Peter.:(

this makes me sad, because i remember the day he announced he had lung cancer

A very good question. I don't know for sure, but my best guess is yes. A number of the old "main" anchors have died (Huntley, Reynolds, etc), but I believe they all resigned or retired first.

The thing that absolutely amazes me -- another thing I didn't know -- is that Jennings was a high school dropout. Never graduated from high school or college.

Had Max Robinson retired before he passed away ? I remember what a surprise his death was to everyone.

I was just going to mention that - I believe he left the anchor's desk just before he passed away.

I think so, too. I think I would have remembered it and the network would have made a bigger deal of it.

I didn't get to see the World News broadcast tonight, but whomever the anchor that has been filling in since April (can't think of his name) did the show tonight standing, with Peter's chair sitting empty in the background.

Had I seen that, I would have bawled.

On another note...I wonder what about the lung cancer made his voice sound so raspy back in April? Just being curious...

God bless the Jennings family...

PsychTau

:(

Charles Gibson from Good Morning America did the broadcast last night. He did some of it sitting down. But he said that they called the chair "peter's chair" and only thought it fitting that it remained empty at the end of the broadcast.

I think between the procedures and somet reatments he had already had, that is why his voice was so raspy. I think I heard someone say that he had hoped it would get better so he could return to air, but it never did.

A thought from some broadcast journalims bulleting boards:

Did ABC overdo the coverage on that evening's news show?

Most say yes.

The event was certainly newsworthy, but to take basically the entire show -- well, his death may not have been the most important story that day.

No problems with a prime time special (I think NBC did one for Brokaw and CBS did one for Rather), and extensive coverage on Good Morning America, but the evening program is called "World News Tonight."

Those who knew him (I'm not included) say that he would have been embarassed that this was the majority of the air time on a "world" news program.

For what it's worth.

That makes sense - a segment and a prime time special (along with the coverage on GMA) would have been fine. It's a tragic story, but you're right, there was more going on in the world than the death of a beloved reporter.

ETA: Only slightly similar, but the Boston Globe did a good job handling the death of Will McDonough. While it was given a prominent place in the paper, by no means did it take up the whole of the news for the day. ESPN did a similar thing when Dick Schaap passed away.

while over checking on the folks house tonight i saw they had a special on tonight. saw the first 25 minutes. very cool what they had on for what i did see.

Peter Jennings named to the Order of Canada
 

I believe I read in one of the obits that Peter's father anchored the first Canadian network news show.

I'm assuming that was "The National" that I used to watch on CBC when I lived in Detroit. I always thought it was a pretty good broadcast.

Perhaps a Canadian poster can confirm that for me.