Who was the 1st Anchor of "The National?"

[bierkenstock]

The Associated Press obituary for Peter Jennings says his father, Charles Jennings, was the first anchor/newscaster of The National when the broadcast began on radio.
<blockquote>
Broadcasting was the family business for Jennings. His father, Charles Jennings, was the first person to anchor a nightly national news program in Canada and later became head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s news division.
</blockquote>
I had always understood that Lorne Greene ("The Voice of Doom," "Ben Cartwright" on Bonanza, "Commander Adama" on Battlestar Galactica)was the first. The CBC's website calls Greene the "first celebrity anchor."

Anybody know for sure which one was first?

 

[LeeSmith]

Peter Jennings was the first anchor of the CTV Network. He was doing the newscast from CJOH Ottawa ... local ... then CTV was formed and he went with the station into the network. From there it was off to ABC to anchor the evening news but he was considered to look too young. From ther it was off to many years of international stringer work & back to anchor the ABC news in 1983.

CTV News ran a very nice tribute to Peter Jennings on the major evening and late nite package tonite.

Super-interesting man.

Lee

 

[Primitive]

> The Associated Press obituary for Peter Jennings says his
> father, Charles Jennings, was the first anchor/newscaster of
> The National when the broadcast began on radio.
>
> Broadcasting was the family business for Jennings. His
> father, Charles Jennings, was the first person to anchor a
> nightly national news program in Canada and later became
> head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s news division.
>
> I had always understood that Lorne Greene ("The Voice of
> Doom," "Ben Cartwright" on Bonanza, "Commander Adama" on
> Battlestar Galactica)was the first. The CBC's website calls
> Greene the "first celebrity anchor."
>
> Anybody know for sure which one was first?
>


According to "Here's Looking at Us" a book released at the CBC TV's 50th anniversary...
Lorne Greene anchored a show called "Newsmagazine" in the early evening until Larry Henderson took over. Then in 1954 CBC-TV added "National Edition", a 10 minute newscast hosted by Henderson, right before the network signed off for the night. Oddly enough, Charles Jennings isn't mentioned in the book.

It's a big hardcover book. I just bought this week from The World's Biggest Bookstore in T.O. for six bucks. The original price was $49.99.

From CBC.ca:
"...Charles Jennings, one of CBC radio’s first news anchormen and, early in his career, part of Foster Hewitt’s legendary Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team in the 1930s. "

In another article on CBC.ca...
"...His father, Charles Jennings, was a renowned CBC Radio broadcaster who gained fame as one of Canada's first national news anchors and rose to become a CBC executive."