Charles Gibson signs off tonight as anchor of ABC's "World News," after a relatively short stint - less than 4 years - in the seat that the late Peter Jennings held for more than two decades.
Calm, steady, reassuring, dependable, even-handed and non-biased are just some of the adjectives that apply to the 66-year-old Gibson. He has been with the network since 1975, first as a reporter and later as a co-host on "Good Morning America."
On Monday, Diane Sawyer, who turns 64 next week, takes over "World News" in what has to be one of the lowest low-key moves in the history of TV news.
Neither Gibson nor Sawyer has been granting interviews and ABC hasn't been making a big deal out this changing of the guard. ABC News did compile a nice retrospective on Gibson's career at abcnews .go.com (Gibson has interviewed every president since Nixon).
During Jennings' reign, Gibson often filled in so it was a bit surprising when the network passed him over after Jennings' death to name Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas as co-anchors.
It looked like such an obvious attempt to seem young and hip. But Woodruff was seriously injured in Iraq and Vargas went on maternity leave. Gibson got the job in 2006.
The main audience for the evening news is well over 50 and maturity apparently appeals to them. ABC soon pulled even with longtime ratings leader NBC.
Gibson has said he wants to go quietly. His wife recently retired from her job as head of a private boarding school and they have a grandchild they want to see more often. Goodbye, Charlie.
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