• 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

What's Your Fondest Memory Of Peter Jennings?

J

Joseph_Gallant

Guest
With the passing of Peter Jennings, I'd like to start this thread and ask your fondest memories of him.

For me, there are three memories of his work that stand out above all else.

The first was the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Jennings (along with ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell and producer John Wilcox) had somehow gotten into the Olympic Village. Jennings got very close to the building where terorists were holding several Israeli athletes hostage, and through a walkie-talkie, reporting to studio host Jim McKay (and the entire country) what was going on.

The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of the year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island, about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square, Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for 25 hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over the world and providing perspective.

The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work as anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared to Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963 during the assasination of President Kennedy.

With the exception of a ten-month stint in 1975 when he came back to the 'States to do the news updates on the ill-fated "AM America", Jennings spent the decade between 1968 and 1978 as an overseas correspondent for ABC. What many people seem to forget is that during the latter part of that span, Jennings was considered by many to be American television's best foreign correspondent, with his work being favorably compared to CBS' World War II-era legend Ed Murrow.

The comparison is even more poignant considering that both Murrow and Jennings were heavy smokers, and that lung cancer claimed both of them.
 
<font color=3333ff>I remember when Peter appeared on either Jimmy Kimmel or one of those late night shows recently.

Always watching Peter anchor, you really never got to see him act outside a professional business appearance. It was really different to see a side profile of him since anchoring always showed his face dead on into the camera. It just striked me as different.

I never even realized that he was Canadian until I heard the reports that he was getting naturalized. He died a true American :)

I also commend him for hanging in there during Sept 11... and I would have done the same thing if I was a reporter. It's the duty and just the right thing.


</font>
> With the passing of Peter Jennings, I'd like to start this
> thread and ask your fondest memories of him.
>
> For me, there are three memories of his work that stand out
> above all else.
>
> The first was the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972
> Summer Olympics in Munich. Jennings (along with ABC
> sportscaster Howard Cosell and producer John Wilcox) had
> somehow gotten into the Olympic Village. Jennings got very
> close to the building where terorists were holding several
> Israeli athletes hostage, and through a walkie-talkie,
> reporting to studio host Jim McKay (and the entire country)
> what was going on.
>
> The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of the
> year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
> friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
> actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for 25
> hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
> the world and providing perspective.
>
> The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work as
> anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared to
> Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963 during
> the assasination of President Kennedy.
>
> With the exception of a ten-month stint in 1975 when he came
> back to the 'States to do the news updates on the ill-fated
> "AM America", Jennings spent the decade between 1968 and
> 1978 as an overseas correspondent for ABC. What many people
> seem to forget is that during the latter part of that span,
> Jennings was considered by many to be American television's
> best foreign correspondent, with his work being favorably
> compared to CBS' World War II-era legend Ed Murrow.
>
> The comparison is even more poignant considering that both
> Murrow and Jennings were heavy smokers, and that lung cancer
> claimed both of them.
>
 
> With the passing of Peter Jennings, I'd like to start this
> thread and ask your fondest memories of him.
>
> For me, there are three memories of his work that stand out
> above all else.
>
> The first was the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972
> Summer Olympics in Munich. Jennings (along with ABC
> sportscaster Howard Cosell and producer John Wilcox) had
> somehow gotten into the Olympic Village. Jennings got very
> close to the building where terorists were holding several
> Israeli athletes hostage, and through a walkie-talkie,
> reporting to studio host Jim McKay (and the entire country)
> what was going on.
>
> The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of the
> year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
> friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
> actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for 25
> hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
> the world and providing perspective.
>
> The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work as
> anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared to
> Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963 during
> the assasination of President Kennedy.
>
> With the exception of a ten-month stint in 1975 when he came
> back to the 'States to do the news updates on the ill-fated
> "AM America", Jennings spent the decade between 1968 and
> 1978 as an overseas correspondent for ABC. What many people
> seem to forget is that during the latter part of that span,
> Jennings was considered by many to be American television's
> best foreign correspondent, with his work being favorably
> compared to CBS' World War II-era legend Ed Murrow.
>
> The comparison is even more poignant considering that both
> Murrow and Jennings were heavy smokers, and that lung cancer
> claimed both of them.
>

Wow, it used to be Brokaw, Jennings and Rather. In a snap...that's all over.

I always thought Peter Jennings was a classy person. I prefered ABC to the other networks especialy when ABC World News Tonight used Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings. However, I did lose all respect for Jennings when didn't like the 1994 congressional election results and busted out with:

"Some thoughts on those angry voters. Ask parents of any two-year-old and they can tell you about those temper tantrums: the stomping feet, the rolling eyes, the screaming. It's clear that the anger controls the child and not the other way around. It's the job of the parent to teach the child to control the anger and channel it in a positive way. Imagine a nation full of uncontrolled two-year-old rage. The voters had a temper tantrum last week….Parenting and governing don't have to be dirty words: the nation can't be run by an angry two-year-old."


And that's what I'll remember most about Peter Jennings. That, if you did't vote the way Jennings wanted you to vote, you're an angry, temper tantrum having two-year old.<P ID="signature">______________
Free Lil Kim
April 29, 2005 5pm What a glorious day it was
</P>
 
> The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work as
> anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared to
> Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963 during
> the assasination of President Kennedy.

I second that emotion. While I was more likely to watch CBS for the evening news, I was positively glued to the screen during ABC's coverage of 9/11. Peter handled it quite well, considering the magnitude of the disaster.

While I can understand the feelings of those who disagreed with Jennings' political views (a former boss was one of them), I'm willing to put all of that aside to remember Peter's contributions to the medium. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Xnewsie on 08/08/05 04:52 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> I remember when Peter appeared on either Jimmy Kimmel or one
> of those late night shows recently.
>
> Always watching Peter anchor, you really never got to see
> him act outside a professional business appearance. It was
> really different to see a side profile of him since
> anchoring always showed his face dead on into the camera.
> It just striked me as different.
>
> I never even realized that he was Canadian until I heard the
> reports that he was getting naturalized. He died a true
> American :)
>
> I also commend him for hanging in there during Sept 11...
> and I would have done the same thing if I was a reporter.
> It's the duty and just the right thing.
>
>
> Your memories of Jennings on late-night television remind me of
some of Rather's appearances on Letterman, when he'd sing
train songs and things of that sort.

One thing about Jennings that stands out in my mind
is that he really seemed to like children. He did some
specials that aired on Saturday mornings, one being the
Saturday after 9/11, and at no time did he talk down to the
kids. I also remember that the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill
set-to continued into a Saturday morning; and Jennings, aware
that millions of children were waiting for their cartoons,
advised parents that they might not want their kids in the
room since the language was a little rough.

I guess what really stands out the most is the way he
overcame all the negative comments when he anchored ABC
news the first time. It was to his credit that he asked
to be taken off that assignment and to get some experience,
so that when he made it back to the anchor chair he knew
what he was talking about.
> >
> >
> > For me, there are three memories of his work that stand
> out
> > above all else.
> >
> > The first was the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972
>
> > Summer Olympics in Munich. Jennings (along with ABC
> > sportscaster Howard Cosell and producer John Wilcox) had
> > somehow gotten into the Olympic Village. Jennings got very
>
> > close to the building where terorists were holding several
>
> > Israeli athletes hostage, and through a walkie-talkie,
> > reporting to studio host Jim McKay (and the entire
> country)
> > what was going on.
> >
> > The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of
> the
> > year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
>
> > friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> > about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
>
> > actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> > Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for
> 25
> > hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
>
> > the world and providing perspective.
> >
> > The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work
> as
> > anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared
> to
> > Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963
> during
> > the assasination of President Kennedy.
> >
> > With the exception of a ten-month stint in 1975 when he
> came
> > back to the 'States to do the news updates on the
> ill-fated
> > "AM America", Jennings spent the decade between 1968 and
> > 1978 as an overseas correspondent for ABC. What many
> people
> > seem to forget is that during the latter part of that
> span,
> > Jennings was considered by many to be American
> television's
> > best foreign correspondent, with his work being favorably
> > compared to CBS' World War II-era legend Ed Murrow.
> >
> > The comparison is even more poignant considering that both
>
> > Murrow and Jennings were heavy smokers, and that lung
> cancer
> > claimed both of them.
> >
>
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 08/08/05 09:55 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of the
> year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
> friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
> actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for 25
> hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
> the world and providing perspective.
>
It's funny...I happen to have the coverage on tape as well as a report he did on the Haitian crisis. <P ID="signature">______________
Tape Traders Central/Retro Blog</P>
 
Believe it or not at the age 6, I remember Peter Jennings during his FIRST stint as anchor on ABC in 1966 on "Peter Jennings and the News". He was only 27 years old when he got that assignment. Then again, ABC News was pretty much a broom closet operation during those days. Peter knew that he was somewhat "green" from the get-go. He had no college experience, quit high-school early while living in Canada and had to work up from square one. Eventually in 1967, he asked to be reassigned back to reporting the news. As a result, he started ABC's FIRST Middle East Bureau. He traveled everywhere, Vietnam, Middle East and he was reporting the Munich Massacre during the 1972 Olympics. I was watching that tragedy unfold, and he was there. He truly gained the respect he deserved, because he EARNED it. I recall the first version of "ABC World News Tonight" in 1979 with Frank Reynolds in New York, Max Robinson in Chicago and of course Peter Jennings in London. Eventually, ABC switched to the sole anchor format with Peter Jennings. He finally (and rightly so) got that second chance to anchor the news on ABC, one more time. He was the best. He will truly be missed. Rest in Peace.


73,

<P ID="signature">______________
Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts</P>
 
> > The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of
> the
> > year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
>
> > friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> > about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
>
> > actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> > Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for
> 25
> > hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
>
> > the world and providing perspective.
> >
> It's funny...I happen to have the coverage on tape as well
> as a report he did on the Haitian crisis.
>
I recorded most of the coverage, too.<P ID="signature">______________
"Always on the move." Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge Of the Sith</P>
 
> With the passing of Peter Jennings, I'd like to start this
> thread and ask your fondest memories of him.
>
> For me, there are three memories of his work that stand out
> above all else.
>
> The first was the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972
> Summer Olympics in Munich. Jennings (along with ABC
> sportscaster Howard Cosell and producer John Wilcox) had
> somehow gotten into the Olympic Village. Jennings got very
> close to the building where terorists were holding several
> Israeli athletes hostage, and through a walkie-talkie,
> reporting to studio host Jim McKay (and the entire country)
> what was going on.
>
> The second was the marathon broadcast of the arrival of the
> year 2000. I spent that New Year's Eve at the home of some
> friends who live in Hicksvile, New York (on Long Island,
> about 25 miles due east of Manhattan). Although Dick Clark
> actually counted down to Midnight from Times Square,
> Jennings was overall host and stayed awake and on-air for 25
> hours. He was marvelous introducing segments from all over
> the world and providing perspective.
>
> The third memory was September 11th, 2001. Jennings' work as
> anchor that day was masterful, and was favorably compared to
> Walter Cronkite's on-air work on November 22nd, 1963 during
> the assasination of President Kennedy.
>
> With the exception of a ten-month stint in 1975 when he came
> back to the 'States to do the news updates on the ill-fated
> "AM America", Jennings spent the decade between 1968 and
> 1978 as an overseas correspondent for ABC. What many people
> seem to forget is that during the latter part of that span,
> Jennings was considered by many to be American television's
> best foreign correspondent, with his work being favorably
> compared to CBS' World War II-era legend Ed Murrow.
>
> The comparison is even more poignant considering that both
> Murrow and Jennings were heavy smokers, and that lung cancer
> claimed both of them.
>
One memory I have is the infamous "OJ prank phone call" made by a Howard Stern listener back in '94. The audio of that was featured on one of Stern's early shows on E! I still have it on tape. Peter was informed that he was "punk'ed" but he handled it as a true professional, he didn't lose his cool. I also remember when ABC rebranded the nightly news as "World News Tonight" with Frank Reynolds in Washington DC, Max Robinson in Chicago, and Peter Jennings in London.<P ID="signature">______________
"Always on the move." Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge Of the Sith</P>
 
> Believe it or not at the age 6, I remember Peter Jennings
> during his FIRST stint as anchor on ABC in 1966 on "Peter
> Jennings and the News". He was only 27 years old when he
> got that assignment. Then again, ABC News was pretty much a
> broom closet operation during those days. Peter knew that he
> was somewhat "green" from the get-go. He had no college
> experience, quit high-school early while living in Canada
> and had to work up from square one. Eventually in 1967, he
> asked to be reassigned back to reporting the news. As a
> result, he started ABC's FIRST Middle East Bureau. He
> traveled everywhere, Vietnam, Middle East and he was
> reporting the Munich Massacre during the 1972 Olympics. I
> was watching that tragedy unfold, and he was there. He
> truly gained the respect he deserved, because he EARNED it.
> I recall the first version of "ABC World News Tonight" in
> 1979 with Frank Reynolds in New York, Max Robinson in
> Chicago and of course Peter Jennings in London. Eventually,
> ABC switched to the sole anchor format with Peter Jennings.
> He finally (and rightly so) got that second chance to anchor
> the news on ABC, one more time. He was the best. He will
> truly be missed. Rest in Peace.

Amen.

I used to watch him back in the '60s, too, and I always watched
the three-anchor "World News Tonight," and Jennings had definitely
earned his spurs by that time. I'd have to say the 1972 Olympic
tragedy (the massacre of the Israeli athletes) was the true
turning point of Jennings' career; after that, no one would have
referred to him as "that kid on ABC" (or words to that effect) as critics sometimes did in the '60s.

On the thread about possible replacements the name David Muir
keeps coming up. I hope ABC will not do to him what it did
to Jennings in '65 and put him in the impossible position of
going against the more experienced Brian Williams and Bob Schieffer
(or John Roberts or whoever's on CBS this week).
>
>
> 73,
>
 
> I remember when Peter appeared on either Jimmy Kimmel or one
> of those late night shows recently.
>
> Always watching Peter anchor, you really never got to see
> him act outside a professional business appearance. It was
> really different to see a side profile of him since
> anchoring always showed his face dead on into the camera.
> It just striked me as different.
>
> I never even realized that he was Canadian until I heard the
> reports that he was getting naturalized. He died a true
> American :)
>
> I also commend him for hanging in there during Sept 11...
> and I would have done the same thing if I was a reporter.
> It's the duty and just the right thing.

Oddly enough, my favorite memory of Jennings also has nothing to do with the news...at the 2000 or 2001 (can't remember which) Stanley Cup Finals, Jennings was interviewed during intermission of one of the games and seemed to be really enjoying the game, you got to see a human side of the guy you never did on a news broadcast, and you also got to hear him talking in a pretty pronounced Canadian accent, maybe he'd had a Molson or four at the game. :) That was shocking to me, from hearing him read the news for so many years I thought his accent sounded faintly British, if anything.
 
> >
> >
> >
> > I never even realized that he was Canadian until I heard
> the
> > reports that he was getting naturalized. He died a true
> > American :)
> >
> >
>
> Oddly enough, my favorite memory of Jennings also has
> nothing to do with the news...at the 2000 or 2001 (can't
> remember which) Stanley Cup Finals, Jennings was interviewed
> during intermission of one of the games and seemed to be
> really enjoying the game, you got to see a human side of the
> guy you never did on a news broadcast, and you also got to
> hear him talking in a pretty pronounced Canadian accent,
> maybe he'd had a Molson or four at the game. :) That was
> shocking to me, from hearing him read the news for so many
> years I thought his accent sounded faintly British, if
> anything.

My dad once asked me if Jennings was from Virginia, since
people there and in Ontario talk very much alike. I had to
tell him that Jennings was Canadian, something he'd never
known.

Jennings took a lot of unfair guff in the runup to the Iraq
war when his patriotism was questioned, merely because he wasn't
born in the United States. Fact is, as I heard Diane Sawyer say
on Good Morning America this morning, Jennings got his U.S.
citizenship in 2003 and was ecstatic about being able to vote
in the 2004 elections. And he scored 100 on the citizenship test!
 
When I was a freshman in college, the O.J. trial was going on. On the afternoon of the verdict I can remember his voice echoing throughout the dorm hallway. On 9/11, I was working for an ABC station and his voice and presence was very comforting that day and the days after. As he used to say when reporters would toss back to him: Many thanks, Peter Jennings.
 
I won't go "fond", but I guess the opening round of Gulf War I, the bombing started during the 6:30 ET feed. Of course there was a pause to bring the "Special Report" slide up so the Western folks who were still watching soaps and daytime talk could join.

Then there was the "temper tantrum" comment. All in all, I pretty much have always liked ABC's radio and TV product.<P ID="signature">______________
Did the Corinthians ever write back?</P>
 
Peter Jennings: Germany, 1989

http://www.stripes.com/photoday/080905photoday.html<P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom