Very few names in broadcast journalism are as recog­nizable as that of Peter Jennings. His father, Charles, was the most prominent radio announcer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Thus, it seems perhaps predictable that Peter Jennings would have his own successful career in the news industry. 

     Jennings was ten years old when he received his first anchor job for Peter's Program, a Saturday morning radio show which showcased young talent. As a stu­dent, he exhibited little interest in formal education. However, his interests and talent in the area of news would demonstrate his capacity and willingness to learn. He began his professional career as a disc jockey and news reporter for a small radio station in Brockton, Ontario. Like many reporters who achieve major success, Jennings's opportunity to make a name for himself came with breaking news. In this case it was the story of a train wreck he covered for the CBC that brought attention. But the story got him a job with CTV, Canada's first private TV network, rather than with the public broadcaster. Elmer Lower, who identified Jennings's good looks and charm as elements that would sell to the American public, recruited Jennings from CTV to ABC News. Shortly after, in 1964, Jen­nings joined ABC as an anchor for a 15-minute evening news segment.

     A year later, in an unprecedented rise to the top, Jen­nings, at 27, became the youngest ABC Evening News anchor. His competition at the time-Walter Cronkite on CBS, and the team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on NBC-stood as the most credible anchors of their time. In this competitive environment, Jen­nings was unable to break through and establish a strong share for ABC News. In 1968 he left the anchor desk and was sent to Rome to become a foreign correspondent and sharpen his reporting skills. Jennings was credited with establishing the first American television news bureau in the Middle East and served for seven years as ABC News Bureau Chief in Beirut, Lebanon. After building a strong reputation for world­ class reporting, Jennings was put back in an anchor position for A.M. America, the predecessor for Good Morning America, where he delivered five-minute newscasts from Washington, D.C.

     The experience and contacts in the Middle East paid off for Jennings. He established a reputation as Anwar Sadat's favorite correspondent after completing a documentary on the Egyptian president, and in 1977, when Egypt and Israel were about to make peace, Jennings was called to the scene. In 1978, he was the first U.S. reporter to interview the Ayatollah Khomeini, then in exile in Paris. When the Ayatollah came to power in Iran, Jennings was the first reporter to be granted an interview and accompanied the Ayatollah on the plane back to Iran.

     Shortly after, on July 10, 1978, the first ABC World News Tonight aired. Jennings was to become a star. His breadth of experience in national and international reporting served him well while he was a reporter for World News Tonight, and in 1983 he was named lead anchor.

     During the late 1980s, Jennings anchored several highly acclaimed programs, including a live series called Capital to Capital, which broadcast communications between Soviet officials and members of the U.S. Congress. News specials on political volatility in China, Iran, and the former Soviet Union also won praise. His contributions include a live, via-satellite, town hall meeting between U.S. citizens and Soviet leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. This show, with its question-and-answer format, gave Americans unprecedented exposure to the Soviet leaders.

     Although Jennings's political reports have won him the most praise at World News Tonight, they do not stand alone. Jennings also anchors Peter Jennings Reporting. These one-hour, prime-time specials address important issues facing the nation and the world. He has explored issues ranging from abortion, gun con­trol, AIDS, and rape to funding for the arts and Ross Perot's presidential campaign. Jennings's accomplish­ments also include a series of news reports for children. In 1994, he served as moderator of a special question-and-answer broadcast from the White House in which American children questioned President Clinton about issues important to their lives.

     For his work, Jennings has won several Emmy awad Overseas Press Club Awards and the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for journalism. In 1989, a Times-Mirror poll found Jennings to be the most believable source of news. Jennings was also named Best Anchor by the Washington Journalism Review in 1988, 1989, 1990, and l992.

     Jennings teamed with Todd Brewster to develop three best-selling books and corresponding television series. The Century and The Century for Young People present a comprehensive, colorful, and impressive chronicle of 20th-century history. In Search of America, although conceptualized before September 11, 2001, gathers stories both inspiring and poignant, and focuses on diverse American issues and individuals.