Today marks 15 years since Peter Jennings died. I thought this column was an interesting read. Charles Gibson hosted from 2006 to 2009. Diane Sawyer hosted from 2009 to 2014 and David Muir has hosted since.
On Tue, Oct 25, 2005, 12:05 PM Mark J. <[email protected]> wrote: > > First Broadcasting & Cable claimed in yesterday's Flash! column: > > Sawyer? Gibson? Westin's Dilemma Heats Up > > The tough task of selecting a replacement for the late Peter Jennings > as the anchor of ABC's World News Tonight- difficult in any > circumstances-may be getting even harder for ABC News President David > Westin. > > Insiders at the network are buzzing over Diane Sawyer's apparent > interest in the blue-chip slot. Word is that the Good Morning America > co-host began contemplating an evening-anchor role for herself when > news surfaced late last year that CBS boss Leslie Moonves had made > overtures to NBC's Katie Couric about the CBS Evening News gig (see > B&C, 12/12/04). After Jennings unexpectedly relinquished the World News > position last spring and it became apparent that he would not return, > factions at the network began promoting Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth > Vargas for the anchor job; neither of those two have Sawyer's star > patina, and observers began detecting that she had started campaigning > for the job. > > VP, ABC News Communications, Jeffrey Schneider said Sawyer was not a > candidate for the job. Saying he had talked to both ABC News President > David Westin and Sawyer, Schneider said: "Diane Sawyer has never asked > to come off Good Morning America. She is not a candidate to host World > News Tonight. > > As you can imagine in a post-Peter Jennings world, everybody has been > asked to step up and help out in other areas. We are talking to Diane > about doing documentaries and other events," he said. > > Sawyer's recent insistence on doing fewer celebrity interviews-unless > she's talking to bona fide A-list personalities-and on doing more > hard-news material was interpreted by network tea-leaf readers as a > sign that Sawyer was positioning herself for the World News job. > > All this, of course, could put her at odds with her able GMA co-host > Charlie Gibson, who has made no secret of his desire to take the World > News reins, where he has been alternating, most often with Vargas, in > the anchor chair. > > One scenario being touted outside ABC's walls: If Gibson is passed over > for the World News job, he might be open to an overture from Fox > Broadcasting once his contract comes up for renewal, reportedly next > year. Fox brass have recently been floating the idea of launching a > national newscast; someone of Gibson's stature would give instant > credibility to the project. > > Some ABC insiders note glumly that, by rights, this should be a time of > excitement and backslapping at GMA, which after a long, hard slog is > seriously challenging the dominance of NBC's Today. Instead, GMA is > rife with uncertainty about who, other than co-host Robin Roberts, will > still be with the show in the none-too-distant future. > > As one ABC insider tells Flash!: Westin, a close ally of Sawyer's, > "is going to have to play King Solomon." > > ----------------- > > But then ABC said it was phooey: > > http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051024/D8DEJVC03.html > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAH5J8yxKyoGH%2BmD87R-9_BTs7NnFVyMWJaAeSiNRcLidracgog%40mail.gmail.com.
