US TV anchor Jennings has cancer

Jennings still plans to anchor the news programme

Long-serving US TV news presenter Peter Jennings, who fronts ABC's World News Tonight programme, has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The reporter will begin chemotherapy next week, the network said on Tuesday.

Jennings has worked with the network since 1964. He covered both the rise and the fall of the Berlin Wall as part of his journalistic career.

He has been described as one of the most powerful and influential journalists on television in the US.

Jennings, 66, has been feeling ill for the past several months and was replaced by another presenter for coverage of the Pope's death on Saturday.

'Cranky' days

He last presented World News Tonight on Friday.

Jennings informed ABC News staff about his diagnosis on Tuesday and plans to anchor the news programme when he feels up to it.

In the e-mail he said: "There will be good days and bad, which means some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky.

"Almost 10 million Americans are living with cancer. I am sure I will learn from them how to cope with the facts of life that none of us anticipated."

Europe correspondent

ABC News president David Westin said: "All of us have watched over the years as Peter has led us on various assignments with strength and with courage. We've done our best to support him in these endeavours.

"Now, Peter's been given a tough assignment. I know that all of us will give him every bit of support that he needs and asks for. Peter will once again lead the way, but we will stand with him at every turn."

Fellow presenters Charlie Gibson and Elizabeth Vargas will fill in for Jennings.

Jennings, from Canada, first presented ABC's evening news programme for two years in the 1960s, later becoming a Europe-based correspondent for the network.

He started again as a co-presenter on ABC in 1978, before taking over the programme on his own five years later.