Jennings, Peter (1938-2005), was a well-known, Canadian-born television newscaster. He was the anchor and senior editor for “World News Tonight,” an evening news program on ABC, a television network in the United States.
Peter Charles Jennings was born in Toronto, Ontario, on July 29, 1938. His father, Charles Jennings, was a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Peter Jennings began his broadcasting career at the age of 9, when he hosted “Peter’s People,” a weekly radio program for children, for the CBC.
Jennings became a correspondent for ABC in 1964 and the network’s national news anchor in 1965. He stepped down from the anchor position in 1968 and returned to work as a correspondent. During his coverage of Arab-Israeli conflicts during the late 1960’s, Jennings developed an expertise in Middle Eastern affairs. In 1975, he became chief foreign correspondent for ABC. In 1978, Jennings became one of three reporters to co-anchor ABC’s “World News Tonight.” Based in London, he anchored the international news segment while continuing as the chief foreign correspondent. In 1983, he became the sole anchor of “World News Tonight.” In 1998, Jennings coauthored The Century, a book about key events of the 1900’s. Jennings gained dual citizenship in 2003, becoming a U.S. citizen while retaining Canadian citizenship. Jennings died on Aug. 7, 2005.
