NEW YORK -- Charlie Gibson, the ABC News World News anchor, will step down at the end of this year and Diane Sawyer, the Good Morning America anchor, will step in and fill his seat at World News, ABC news sources say.
In a letter to his staff Mr. Gibson said he have thought of retiring since September 2007, but “with Peter’s (Jennings) illness, Bob’s (Woodruff) injuries, and Elizabeth’s (Vargas) pregnancy, the job at World News came open in May of,” Mr. Gibson said in the letter. “It was an honor to do so.”
Mr. Gibson asked Diane Sawyer to fill his position as World News anchor. He hared his thought with ABC News president, David Westin, who asked Sawyer then to jump. This was what “Charlie wants and what is best for him,” Westin said.
“It was an honor to do so,” Mr. Gibson aid in the letter. The program is now operating at a very accelerated, but steady, cruising speed and I think it is an opportune time for a transition – both for the broadcast and for me. Life is dynamic; it is not static,” he added.
Mr. Gibson will continue to anchor until December 2009, but he has asked ABC to allow him to occasionally contribute to the World News broadcast. Diane Sawyer will begin to anchor that news show in January 2010.
