ABC taps Sawyer to replace Gibson

With all the drama that's accompanied many of the changes in network news in recent years, yesterday's announcement that Diane Sawyer would replace Charles Gibson in January as anchor of ABC's "World News" seemed refreshingly prosaic.

Gibson, 66, had first planned to retire two years ago as co-host of "Good Morning America," "but with [Peter Jennings'] illness, [Bob Woodruff's] injuries, and [Elizabeth Vargas'] pregnancy," he told ABC staff in an e-mail yesterday, "the job at 'World News' came open in May of 2006."

It was a job he appeared to slip into seamlessly, for a while even helping to move ABC into first place in the ratings race before being passed by NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams," to which "World News" now runs a strong second.

Recently, after 34 years at ABC News and a little more than two years as the calm center of its premier newscast, Gibson had decided that while he'd like to be an occasional contributor, it was time for a change, both for himself and for "World News."

And, in choosing Sawyer, long considered an obvious candidate for the job, ABC News president David Westin apparently decided that change didn't need to be as radical - or necessarily skew as young - as the one that briefly ushered in Woodruff and Vargas as co-anchors in January 2006.

"It's in some ways the most orderly transition we have had in . . . years, so I think in that way we are all blessed," "World News" executive producer Jon Banner said in a phone interview yesterday.

Banner, who's been in his job since 2003 - "I came here to be Peter's executive producer and I was that for about a year and a half" - said that he will miss Gibson "more than he knows," but called the shift to Sawyer, who moved from CBS News to ABC in 1989 and who's co-hosted ABC's "Good Morning America" since 1999, "a natural transition."

"I think we are incredibly fortunate to have Diane be able to come here," he said.

The 63-year-old Sawyer will, of course, be the second woman, after CBS News' Katie Couric, to be solo anchor of a network evening newscast, meaning that come January, we can expect to see two of the Big Three newscasts led by women.

"It's going to be very interesting, historic even," said Banner.

Couric, for her part, released a statement yesterday praising Gibson as "a gifted communicator" and Sawyer as a "hard worker" with "an already accomplished and illustrious career," adding, "and as I did, I'm sure she'll quickly find that she doesn't miss that early morning alarm clock."

For the moment, though, Sawyer will be hanging on to that clock.

"There is no one like Charlie Gibson and it is an enormous honor to be asked to join the terrific broadcast he and the great team of journalists have built at 'World News,' " she said in a statement yesterday. "Until then, I'll be getting up early and spending mornings, as always, counting myself so lucky to be with . . . the incredibly smart, talented and dedicated team of 'Good Morning America.' " *

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