• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Peter Jennings status

T

TheTiger

Anyone know what is going on with Peter Jennings lately? It's been a couple of months since he announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer and will take couple weeks off in order to him to be treated with this disease. Several months has passed and still didn't hear a word about him on whether Jennings will make a comeback.

As of now, ABC News is still being called "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" but since he is out for a couple of months, I don't know whether the management would do something about Jennings' contract.

If Jennings decide to retire or he is let go, then who would take his place?
 
No one seems 100% certain of Peter Jenning’s health status at this moment except perhaps Jennings himself. After undergoing treatment for cancer all of us I’m sure are keeping Mr. Jennings in our prayers, or wishing him a speedy and complete recovery.

To answer your question about a possible replacement should Peter Jennings retire, personally I would like to see Charles Gibson take over as the main anchor.

While Elizabeth Vargas does a very good job when she is on ABC World News Tonight, Mr. Gibson comes across more at ease in the anchor chair. That’s not to say that Ms. Vargas couldn’t handle the job.

Like my opinion matters to the brass at ABC but I would highly discourage promoting Terry Moran, their current weekend anchor, to full time anchor. Or would I come close to suggesting that Diane Sawyer be considered for the job.




<P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>
 
Well for starters, I believe that ABC is going to let Jennings take some time off to continue his treatments. So once he gets a clean bill of health from his doctors they'll welcome him back to the anchor desk. I believe ABC is doing the right thing in giving him some time away from the camera to battle his disease.

As for his replacement, chances are if Jennings decides to call it a day we could see good ol' Charlie Gibson become the heir appearent.
 
Even if Peter Jennings does make a triumphant return to "World News Tonight" (which I hope he will do in the near future), he is 66 years old.

Thus, even if he indeed does return in a few weeks (or a few months), he might not be at the anchor desk for more thananother year or two, even if he is fully cured. I'm sure the thought of retirement has crossed his mind.

I don't know how far along in his treatment he is, but this afternoon (June 30th), an announcement was made which would probably give Jennings a big reason to try to return to the anchor desk, if he is right now almost well enough to get back on the air.

NASA has announced that the next space shuttle launch will be on Wednesday, July 13th (the first manned flight since the Columbia crash). Given the news value, I expect ABC (as well as CBS and NBC) will cover the launch live.

I'm sure Jennings is hoping that his treatments can progress to the point that he can go to Cape Canaveral and anchor his network's coverage of the launch, and then at the end of the mission, the landing. If indeed he should be well enough to anchor those special broadcasts, my guess is that he would be on the air for that special coverage, but not return to "World News Tonight" for a few weeks. This way, he can gradually get back "into the swing of things", doing special-event/breaking news anchoring, but not the fulltime work as anchor/managing editor of "WNT".

As for potential long-term replacements when Jennings retires, I doubt it will be either Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer for two reasons: (1) ABC may want someone younger who could probably be able to anchor "WNT" for up to two decades (if not longer), and, (2) ABC probably wants to keep Gibson and Sawyer on "Good Morning America", given that the show is now neck-and-neck with NBC's "Today" for the top spot in the morning news ratings. Taking Gibson or Sawyer away from "GMA" might result in a big ratings drop and "Today" again becoming the dominant morning news show.
 
>
> NASA has announced that the next space shuttle launch will
> be on Wednesday, July 13th (the first manned flight since
> the Columbia crash). Given the news value, I expect ABC (as
> well as CBS and NBC) will cover the launch live.
>


Apparently, while posting your 1000 comments per day, you managed to miss the announcement a couple of days ago that Peter's doctors did not give him any clearance whatsoever to travel to Cape Canaveral.
 
I hadn't heard anything about it.

Thanks for the info.

Hopefully, between now and July 12th, things will change and Peter Jennings' doctor will be able to tell him: "Peter, you can go to the Cape. Have a great time, and I'll be watching!"
 
>
> Hopefully, between now and July 12th, things will change and
> Peter Jennings' doctor will be able to tell him: "Peter, you
> can go to the Cape. Have a great time, and I'll be
> watching!"
>

There is a better chance of you posting another 500 comments between now and July 12th than there is of Peter Jennings going to Cape Canaveral.

And I'll take the "over" on that. ;o)
 
Jennings is in stage 4 lung cancer

The last report I heard was that Peter was in stage 4, and there are only 5 stages. So while I sincerely pray that he makes a full recovery, the reality is, he's very very ill, and I would be suprised if he ever did come back.

Than again miracles do happen... But that's what we're talking here.
It's too bad too, because he was my favorite. Very relaxed, easy to understand, and the chemistry between him and everyone else on ABC News was remarkable.
 
> Well for starters, I believe that ABC is going to let
> Jennings take some time off to continue his treatments. So
> once he gets a clean bill of health from his doctors they'll
> welcome him back to the anchor desk. I believe ABC is doing
> the right thing in giving him some time away from the camera
> to battle his disease.

An earlier post asked if ABC would possibly "cut Jennings loose." The network could ill afford to in effect kick a man while he's down. So your notion here of the company giving Jennings time to recoil most likely tracks with ABC's thinking. Could be that as ill as he obviously is, he might return to anchor part time--2 or 3 days a week, then if he regained strength return to full time at the anchor desk. Even if he doesn't return to the air, it would be a joyful event just to see him live on for a long time.
>
> As for his replacement, chances are if Jennings decides to
> call it a day we could see good ol' Charlie Gibson become
> the heir appearent.
>
 
> There is a better chance of you posting another 500 comments
> between now and July 12th than there is of Peter Jennings
> going to Cape Canaveral.
>

LMAO!
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom