And, time and time again, Jennings is the one who impressed me the most.
Of all the ones I've studied over the years, his on-the-air style is
the one I always admired the most - and wanted to emulate.
He always seemed so relaxed, so in control, so calm and collected. And,
that is no easy task in the hectic, eye-on-the-clock, deadline-after-deadline broadcast news business, be it radio or television - whether at the local level or the network level. There were times though that he seemed to overdo it - seemingly too relaxed, trying too hard to be just another of his viewers out there in the heartland of
America.
In fact, Jennings seemed so relaxed at times that it appeared his suit coat would fall off his shoulders! He came across as more conversational than
either Rather or Brokaw. They always came across as wooden, uptight, not nearly as calm.
Jennings emphasized the word "world" in his ABC World News Tonight broadcasts.
For years he was posted overseas - spending a great deal of time in London and the Middle East, cutting his teeth on stories that many of the other networks - and some that even his - ignored. And, when he took over the anchor seat at ABC, he brought that experience with him, often bucking his producers - aiming for at least two overseas stories each newscast, and this was long before the war on terror.
Jennings had his detractors - as all of us in this business do. However, he always seemed to remain above the fray, focusing on his job and the news of the day with a feeling, as I heard him say last week in one of the many clips that were aired during the various tributes to him, "that what I am doing matters."
Sounds like a fitting motto for journalists worldwide.
(Ken Stanford is the news director for WDUN NEWS TALK 550, MAJIC 1029 and SPORTS RADIO 1240 THE TICKET and editor of AccessNorthGa.com.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/8/127237