John Chancellor

 

John William Chancellor was a well-known American journalist who spent most of his career associated with the NBC television network anchoring the NBC Nightly News from 1970 to 1982. He attended the University of Illinoirs and started his career in national television news as a correspondent on NBC's evening newscast, the Huntley-Brinkley Report. He covered issues of national importance while on The Huntley-Brinkley Report and spent a number of years as a foreign correspondent in Europe, with postings in Vienna, London, Moscow, and Brussels. In 1961, he replaced Dave Garroway as host of The Today Show, a role he filled for fourteen months.He became director of the Voice of America in 1965, at the request of President Lyndon Johnson, a spot he held until 1967. In 1968 he returned to NBC as senior correspondent on the Huntley-Brinkley Report and, two years later, became an anchor on the NBC Nightly News along with David Brinkely and Frank McGee. This threesome rotated in a co-anchor duo format until a perceived lack of stability prompted NBC to go with Chancellor full time. He became the sole weeknight anchor, stationed at the New York headquarters. Although Chancellor was a respected, well-spoken journalist and noted author in his own right, his broadcast ratings were eclipsed by Walter Cronkite in the 70's. For the first time ever and towards the end of Chancellor's tenure, ABC became competitive with NBC and CBS with its World News Tonight. After retiring from his head anchor duties Chancellor narrated an award winning documentary. He is survived by his wife and three children.