PETER JENNINGS 1938-2005

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If you haven't heard this morning, we have lost a great man in the television industry. Peter Jennings, the ABC sportscaster who sportscasted "World News Tonight" has died at the age of 67.

I was shocked beyond belief to learn that he had lung cancer. I didn't even realize he looked sick. I don't think too many people heard about Peter Jennings' illness unless they watched the news the night he was diagnosed.

I am still shocked by his death. What do you all think?

I'm shocked as well. I had no idea he had cancer.

I also was shocked.

The news story was told several months ago. It became old news easily. I understand.

Yes, sadly, I heard. My family and I were watching TV on Sunday night when they stopped the program and did a special tribute-type thing to Peter Jennings, including showing some of the events he covered. I'm still shocked, too. I remember that I would always watch him on the news when I was little, even though I didn't understand much of what they were talking about.

I believe that was Ted Koppel on "Nightline." I think he broke the news in the form of a bulletin, did a little tribute, and then went on with business as usual.

I hope Charlie Gibson takes his place as permanent anchor on "World News Tonight."

My whole family around the household would watch World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. So that is whom I watched pretty much my whole life. And because of that we usually watch the local news on ABC affilitates by default, regardless of what town we were in.

I don't know why so many would see him as dull, but I thought his voice was more welcoming when telling the news, and reporting live and special reports. And not so alarming, nor intimidating where it would make someone a little scared. Just like during 9/11 when our house was tuned to ABC pretty much the whole time.

Concerning the cancer, I heard about it the first time it was reported. And I thought he would've made a comeback. Regardless of age and whatnot.

But it was a shock when I heard of Peter's passing. And as he would say "The news goes on"

RIP Peter.

You got it, nocturnalowl. Peter Jennings had one of the warmest voices of any newscaster!

ABC must be your favorite major network. I doubt it's anything against Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer, but everyone has their own opinions.

As we should know already, Peter was one-of-a-kind. The way he delivered the news was very re-assuring. I always liked it.

Godspeed!

There's a tribute on tonight on ABC at 8/7C. Nothing much on, so I'll tune in.

As for ABC being my favorite nework. Primetime-wise not really. Actually I don't watch a lot of primetime television nowadays.

Sportscasts, well, I don't know, I watch Monday Night football in only interesting games and ABC Sports in fused with ESPN anyways, which I don't watch too much of. ABC Sports used to be one of the biggest during the pre-cable boom days with the both Olympic games, and Wide World of Sports. They have the NBA, but I don't really watch that, nor much sports heavily neither.

Newcasts, yes. from Good Morming America, to WNT. Not really into Nightline though. It's more of a single-issue program with debates. More for the political pundits and the targeted senior viewers.

I sometimes get a glance of World News Now when I am awake in the wee hours.

Eventually network news has been dropping in the past decade or so, with the rise of the internet, cable networks like CNN and Fox. And maybe because fewer people are home at around 5:30 or 6:30 at night.

Maybe I might tune in.

I would understand if one didn't have a computer, they would watch Fox or CNN. The quality of news in that form is lackluster, mainly because those networks, or other news providers, are becoming less and less popular.

It is only fair that ABC do a tribute to Peter.

Oh, I just realized, I typed that Peter Jennings was a sportscaster! Oh, gosh, I wonder how he would have reacted if I would have told him that in real life.

I did watch the tribute to Peter Jennings on ABC last night, and my gosh, watching his last newscast on World News Tonight was scary. I don't blame Charlie Gibson for not wanting to watch it.

Peter's newscasts were always warm and reassuring. He spoke as if many people understood what he was saying (aside from the fact that a little kid probably wouldn't know what happened on September 11.)

I'm sure that many of us are hearing Peter's voice inside our heads. It always made us feel comfortable when we watched the news with him. He was one-of-a-kind, certainly well respected, and a very accomplished man. He will never be forgotten.

Actually, you were not wrong in calling him that. In the 1970's during the heyday's of "Wide World of Sports", Jennings often covered events in cuba for ABC since he was canadian and Cuba wouldn't let americans into the events.

I was wondering if anyone in the USA was even aware that he was Canadian. Interestingly enough, he died about 8 days after finding out he was going to be inducted into the Order of Canada, which is Canada's highest civilian honour (similar to USA Congressional Gold Medal of Honor). He was nominated long before anyone even knew he had cancer.

I knew he was from North of The Border. What would be more surprising was that he was only a US Citizen for only a couple years. Coming from someone who was with ABC for 40 or so years, sole anchor for 20 years and a fan of American History. The tribute even mentioned how Peter wanted to keep it a secret when he decided to become an American citizen.

Seeing in many of the tragic reports (9/11, Oklahoma City, Challenger explosion), you can really see him shine by not as we mentioned already, not intimidate the viewers but at the same time not sugar-coat the frightening events. It is like Peter is talking to you from your own home rather than the anchor desk, multiplied by millions of households.

Oh, so I was right after all. He would never have held anything against me.