New York — They were the men you could depend upon, the faces you'd see every night at dinnertime. In times of trouble, they were always there. Their words rang with authority.
For a generation of television viewers, it was a role assumed by Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather. Not just anchormen, they were father figures, and their sudden absence as a regular presence after more than 20 years leaves an empty feeling.
Within nine months, Brokaw and Rather slipped into more grandfatherly positions at NBC and CBS, while Jennings announced he had lung cancer and left the air. He died on Aug. 7.
"It is very much a familial relationship when you know you can depend on them being there, especially in a society where you can't always depend on people being there," said Jennings Bryant, a University of Alabama professor who has studied the media's effect on families. "In some ways, they are more ideal fathers than some people often have."
Some 10,000 telephone calls or e-mails of condolence were sent to ABC News this week, with 20,000 people posting thoughts on the network's message board. ABC hasn't begun to count the cards and flower arrangements.
Jennings was the unflappable dad, the debonair one whose suit closet you dreamt of invading. His passport was stamped with exotic places. He'd give you more homework than you could handle.
CBS anchor Dan Rather, center, smiles as NBC anchor Tom Brokaw puts a hand on his shoulder, alongside ABC anchor Peter Jennings, right, during a panel discussion titled, "From Where We Sit," in New York.
And he was the father you never had the chance to say goodbye to.
Brokaw always dispensed plainspoken advice. He'd finish the day with a beer, not a martini. He could dress up in a tuxedo for a fancy party, even though you knew he felt better in jeans.
Rather would make eye-rolling comments half the time he opened his mouth, even as he secretly smiled at your indignation. He was a little too tightly wound, and you'd have to watch his temper. But you could count on him. Always, you could count on him.
During news reports about Jennings' death it was telling that one of the most-played pieces of videotape showed the anchor, his eyes moist, briefly exhibiting the vulnerability everyone felt during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
All three anchors were vital that day. They didn't necessarily offer reassurance; there wasn't anything to be sure of. Instead, their steadiness meant the family wasn't falling apart even as the world seemed to be.
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