In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month and in remembrance of Peter Jennings, ABC's World News Tonight is launching "Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer," a series of reports on smoking cessation and lung cancer prevention.

The program will devote "unprecedented attention" to the subject, a press release said today. Producers will "embed with several people trying to quit smoking during the month of November and periodically report on the highs and lows of their challenge."

WNT is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the North American Quitline Consortium, and it will direct viewers to stop-smoking resources.

A quote from Jon Banner is after the jump...


"Smoking and lung cancer are grave issues that all of us at World News Tonight have now experienced first hand," said Jon Banner, executive producer of World News Tonight. "Peter Jennings was at the forefront of reporting on the dangers of smoking and tobacco throughout his career, and we are committed to carrying on his work. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in this country, but it doesn't receive nearly the attention that other cancers do. We are dedicating November to this subject, but these issues will continue to be our priority for a long time to come."