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Many viewers doubtless noticed the absence of top ABC anchorman Peter Jennings from coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II over the weekend. Now, it turns out Jennings has a major health problem of his own — lung cancer. After months of feeling sick, Jennings reportedly received the cancer Peter Jennings, seen here in a publicity photo, looks a bit more harried these days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. (Courtesy WCHS/ABC)

Peter Jennings, seen here in a publicity photo, looks a bit more harried these days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. (Courtesy WCHS/ABC)

diagnosis late Tuesday and notified co-workers in an e-mail Wednesday morning. "There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky!" Jennings wrote. Despite his apparently positive attitude, some believe Jennings' condition may be very serious. He is set to begin chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient next week, which doctors say likely means his cancer is in the advanced stages since he is not going in for surgery. Lung cancer is often not detected until later stages. Jennings, 66, was a longtime smoker before quitting in 1988, according to news reports, but started up again for a time after the terror attacks. He will continue anchoring "World News Tonight" as his health permits, the network reported. Elizabeth Vargas and Charlie Gibson will be the main substitutes called on when Jennings can not make it to the anchor desk, ABC said.

Though a hoarse voice has kept Peter Jennings from anchoring the news so far this week, he did make it on the air at the end of Tuesday's "World News Tonight" to get out a message to viewers about his cancer diagnosis. "Finally this evening, a brief note about change," Jennings said. "Some of you have noticed in the last several days that I was not covering the Pope. While my colleagues at ABC did a superb job, I did think a few times I was missing out. However, as some of you now know, I have learned in the last couple of days that I have lung cancer. Yes, I was a smoker until about 20 years ago, and I was weak and I smoked over 9-11. But whatever the reason, the news does slow you down a bit. I've been reminding my colleagues today, who've all been incredibly supportive, that almost 10 million Americans are already living with cancer and I have a lot to learn from them. And living is the key word. The National Cancer Institute says that we are survivors from the moment of diagnosis.

"I will continue to do the broadcast. On good days, my voice will not always be like this. Certainly it's been a long time, and I hope it goes without saying that a journalist who doesn't value deeply the audience's loyalty should be in another line of work. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little surprised at the kindness today of so many people. That's not intended as false modesty, but even I was taken aback by how far and how fast news travels. Finally, I wonder if other men and women ask their doctors right away, 'OK, doc, when does the hair go?' At any rate, that's it for now on 'World News Tonight.' Have a good evening. I'm Peter Jennings. Thanks and good night."

WABC-7 got dramatic video of the "Chopper 4" crash in May, and has now received an Emmy for its coverage. (File Photo/Courtesy WABC-TV)

Eleven months ago, WABC-7 helicopter reporter Shannon Sohn watched in shock from the air as her cross-town WNBC-4 colleagues went down in a chopper crash. On Sunday night, she and pilot Jim Smith accepted an Emmy award for covering the dramatic incident. "The helicopter community [is] a really close-knit community," Sohn said, "and to see our friends in danger — I hope it is the first and last time we will ever have to cover a story like that." The May 2004 crash, which caused only minor injuries to the Ch. 4 crew, happened as both stations were covering a shooting in Brooklyn during the 6 p.m. news. Ch. 7 captured the perilous plunge on tape and it later made air across the country. Sohn said "Chopper 4" pilot Russ Mowry met with her after the crash and encouraged her to enter the Emmy race, and she also thanked Ch. 4 management for their support. The award came in the "Coverage of an Instant Breaking News Story" category. A Ch. 4 newscast from the night of the crash was also nominated for an Emmy but did not win. The event itself was eerily similar to the 1998 crash of a newer Ch. 4 helicopter in Kearny, N.J.

WCBS-2, WNBC-4, and WPIX-11 all had good showings at this year's Emmy The New York Emmy awards were given out Sunday night. (Courtesy Emmyonline.org)

awards, given out over the weekend at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan. Ch. 4 edged out all comers with a total of nine awards, followed by Chs. 2 and 11 with eight statues each. News 12 Long Island followed with seven trophies, WNYW-5 had five, and WABC-7 took home four. The NBC station was powered to the top by "Jane's New York," which picked up two awards, including one for host Jane Hanson, also a presenter at the ceremony. Long Island reporter Heather Holmes, who recently jumped from News 12 Long Island to Ch. 11 to replace Rosemarie Gomez, also took two trips to the podium for her work at News 12. Ch. 11 took the morning news category as well as best single news hour for its 10 p.m. newscast from the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ch. 5 got the half-hour newscast award for a weekend 6 p.m. broadcast. WXTV-41's Rafael Pineda won for anchoring and WWOR-9 took the investigative category for "Driving While Black." The fledgling "NYC TV" city government TV venture — airing on public WNYE-25 and some cable public access channels — also came up with eight Emmys. The awards show aired on Ch. 25 on Wednesday night. Here's more on the winners:

Illinois is the site of some TV news changes at the moment. (Photo Illustration/State Map Courtesy Illinois State Water Survey)

There are some changes afoot in TV news in the Prairie state. Chicago's 800-pound gorilla, WLS-7, announced Tuesday a promotion from within to fill longtime anchor Joel Daly's 4 p.m. slot. Alan Krashesky, who does the 6 p.m. news, will add the extra newscast to his duties starting May 9 after Daly retires. Meanwhile, the ABC station will reportedly break ground officially today on a new fishbowl studio on Front Street to compete with WMAQ-5's street-level studio, which premiered last year. CBS is set to complete the trifecta with a windowed studio opening in about two years for its WBBM-2, which has signed a first lease as key tenant in a new office building to replace its aging studios. Down in the hyphenated Champaign market, meanwhile, ratings leader WCIA-3 is getting ready for the launch tonight of a 9 p.m. newscast focused on the state capital of Springfield. The CBS affiliate has reportedly hired two reporters — Catie Sheehan and Abby Alford — for the program, which will air on UPN sister WCFN-47 and compete with the local NBC outlet.

Devin Scillian, anchor for WDIV-4, sings country music on the side. (Courtesy DevinScillian.com)

One story out of the Detroit News might make you might wonder if there is something in the water in Motown. In the city that helped launch rock and roll in the 60's, it turns out all three lead male TV anchors are involved in singing or songwriting. The highest-profile of the group is WDIV-4's Devin Scillian, who boasts his own personal website offering two original country CD's for sale. WXYZ-7's Stephen Clark, who did a stint at WCBS in New York, also sings and writes country music. Huel Perkins of WJBK-2 is more into the songwriting end, especially jazz. Coincidentally, Perkins also got a write-up in the Free Press Wednesday for encouraging a local grocery store worker-turned-teacher to go back to college.

.: Home .: Sound .: Archive .: E-Mail	Welcome to East Coast TV News APRIL 7, 2005 - AM — Fresh, fun and free of charge -- it's the latest headlines! — Top News: Peter Jennings has lung cancer, plus Emmy-palooza
	— Today's ECTVN Quotable: "Yes, it was quite a surprise." - ABC "World News Tonight" anchor Peter Jennings on his shocking cancer diagnosis
	— Slugs: JENNINGS CANCER - JENNINGS TRANSCRIPT - CHOPPER 4 EMMY - EMMYS ROUNDUP - MIDWEST - KICKER
Mover Kristin Welker Fm: WLNE-6 Providence To: WCAU-10 Philadelphia REPORTER (more) Tipline Have a story idea for ECTVN? Drop us the dirt in an e-mail.	Absent for Pope's death, Jennings has had cancer Many viewers doubtless noticed the absence of top ABC anchorman Peter Jennings from coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II over the weekend. Now, it turns out Jennings has a major health problem of his own — lung cancer. After months of feeling sick, Jennings reportedly received the cancer diagnosis late Tuesday and notified co-workers in an e-mail Wednesday morning. "There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky!" Jennings wrote. Despite his apparently positive attitude, some believe Jennings' condition may be very serious. He is set to begin chemotherapy treatment as an outpatient next week, which doctors say likely means his cancer is in the advanced stages since he is not going in for surgery. Lung cancer is often not detected until later stages. Jennings, 66, was a longtime smoker before quitting in 1988, according to news reports, but started up again for a time after the terror attacks. He will continue anchoring "World News Tonight" as his health permits, the network reported. Elizabeth Vargas and Charlie Gibson will be the main substitutes called on when Jennings can not make it to the anchor desk, ABC said. BACK TO TOP Jennings hoarse as he tells viewers of diagnosis Though a hoarse voice has kept Peter Jennings from anchoring the news so far this week, he did make it on the air at the end of Tuesday's "World News Tonight" to get out a message to viewers about his cancer diagnosis. "Finally this evening, a brief note about change," Jennings said. "Some of you have noticed in the last several days that I was not covering the Pope. While my colleagues at ABC did a superb job, I did think a few times I was missing out. However, as some of you now know, I have learned in the last couple of days that I have lung cancer. Yes, I was a smoker until about 20 years ago, and I was weak and I smoked over 9-11. But whatever the reason, the news does slow you down a bit. I've been reminding my colleagues today, who've all been incredibly supportive, that almost 10 million Americans are already living with cancer and I have a lot to learn from them. And living is the key word. The National Cancer Institute says that we are survivors from the moment of diagnosis. "I will continue to do the broadcast. On good days, my voice will not always be like this. Certainly it's been a long time, and I hope it goes without saying that a journalist who doesn't value deeply the audience's loyalty should be in another line of work. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little surprised at the kindness today of so many people. That's not intended as false modesty, but even I was taken aback by how far and how fast news travels. Finally, I wonder if other men and women ask their doctors right away, 'OK, doc, when does the hair go?' At any rate, that's it for now on 'World News Tonight.' Have a good evening. I'm Peter Jennings. Thanks and good night." BACK TO TOP WABC lands Emmy for 'Chopper 4' crash coverage Eleven months ago, WABC-7 helicopter reporter Shannon Sohn watched in shock from the air as her cross-town WNBC-4 colleagues went down in a chopper crash. On Sunday night, she and pilot Jim Smith accepted an Emmy award for covering the dramatic incident. "The helicopter community [is] a really close-knit community," Sohn said, "and to see our friends in danger — I hope it is the first and last time we will ever have to cover a story like that." The May 2004 crash, which caused only minor injuries to the Ch. 4 crew, happened as both stations were covering a shooting in Brooklyn during the 6 p.m. news. Ch. 7 captured the perilous plunge on tape and it later made air across the country. Sohn said "Chopper 4" pilot Russ Mowry met with her after the crash and encouraged her to enter the Emmy race, and she also thanked Ch. 4 management for their support. The award came in the "Coverage of an Instant Breaking News Story" category. A Ch. 4 newscast from the night of the crash was also nominated for an Emmy but did not win. The event itself was eerily similar to the 1998 crash of a newer Ch. 4 helicopter in Kearny, N.J. BACK TO TOP Three stations clean up at New York Emmys WCBS-2, WNBC-4, and WPIX-11 all had good showings at this year's Emmy awards, given out over the weekend at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan. Ch. 4 edged out all comers with a total of nine awards, followed by Chs. 2 and 11 with eight statues each. News 12 Long Island followed with seven trophies, WNYW-5 had five, and WABC-7 took home four. The NBC station was powered to the top by "Jane's New York," which picked up two awards, including one for host Jane Hanson, also a presenter at the ceremony. Long Island reporter Heather Holmes, who recently jumped from News 12 Long Island to Ch. 11 to replace Rosemarie Gomez, also took two trips to the podium for her work at News 12. Ch. 11 took the morning news category as well as best single news hour for its 10 p.m. newscast from the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ch. 5 got the half-hour newscast award for a weekend 6 p.m. broadcast. WXTV-41's Rafael Pineda won for anchoring and WWOR-9 took the investigative category for "Driving While Black." The fledgling "NYC TV" city government TV venture — airing on public WNYE-25 and some cable public access channels — also came up with eight Emmys. The awards show aired on Ch. 25 on Wednesday night. Here's more on the winners: __ Top Winners: Ch. 4 (9), Ch. 11 (8, incl. 2 newscasts), Ch. 25 (8), Ch. 2 (8), News 12 L.I. (7), Ch. 5 (5, 1 'cast) __ Double Dip: Ch. 2's Arnold Diaz, Ch. 4's Jay DeDapper, Ch. 5's John Deutzman, Ch. 9's Brenda Flanagan, Ch. 11's Mary Murphy, News 12 Long Island shooter Michael DelGiudice (3) __ Newcomers: Ch. 2's Kirstin Cole, Ch. 9 sportsguy Scott Stanford, Ch. 11's Alyssa Coleman and Peter Thorne __ Old Hat?: Ch. 4's Ralph Penza and Chuck Scarborough, Ch. 5's Mary Garofalo, Ch. 9's Barbara Nevins Taylor __ Something for the Upstaters: WROC-8, Capital News 9, WGRZ-2's Scott Brown A complete list of winners is on the Emmy website. BACK TO TOP New anchor, show, building for Illinois stations There are some changes afoot in TV news in the Prairie state. Chicago's 800-pound gorilla, WLS-7, announced Tuesday a promotion from within to fill longtime anchor Joel Daly's 4 p.m. slot. Alan Krashesky, who does the 6 p.m. news, will add the extra newscast to his duties starting May 9 after Daly retires. Meanwhile, the ABC station will reportedly break ground officially today on a new fishbowl studio on Front Street to compete with WMAQ-5's street-level studio, which premiered last year. CBS is set to complete the trifecta with a windowed studio opening in about two years for its WBBM-2, which has signed a first lease as key tenant in a new office building to replace its aging studios. Down in the hyphenated Champaign market, meanwhile, ratings leader WCIA-3 is getting ready for the launch tonight of a 9 p.m. newscast focused on the state capital of Springfield. The CBS affiliate has reportedly hired two reporters — Catie Sheehan and Abby Alford — for the program, which will air on UPN sister WCFN-47 and compete with the local NBC outlet. BACK TO TOP Detroit anchormen read news, croon country One story out of the Detroit News might make you might wonder if there is something in the water in Motown. In the city that helped launch rock and roll in the 60's, it turns out all three lead male TV anchors are involved in singing or songwriting. The highest-profile of the group is WDIV-4's Devin Scillian, who boasts his own personal website offering two original country CD's for sale. WXYZ-7's Stephen Clark, who did a stint at WCBS in New York, also sings and writes country music. Huel Perkins of WJBK-2 is more into the songwriting end, especially jazz. Coincidentally, Perkins also got a write-up in the Free Press Wednesday for encouraging a local grocery store worker-turned-teacher to go back to college. BACK TO TOP