THE HEMMING AND HAWING OVER THE ANCHOR SITUATION HAS THE INDUSTRY BUZZING, ESPECIALLY WITH ELIZABETH VARGAS STARTING MATERNITY LEAVE IN THREE MONTHS.
LIKE the tortured Hamlet, ABC can’t seem to decide who’s taking over the “World News Tonight.”
There are only two candidates for the job: “Good Morning America” co-hosts Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson.
And the pressure to come up with a new, semi-permanent anchor for the evening news is builiding fast. Last week, for the first time in five years, ABC slipped into third place in the ratings race – behind NBC and CBS.
ABC’s hemming and hawing over the “WNT” situation has the industry buzzing, especially with the current anchor, Elizabeth Vargas, taking maternity leave in three months.
Many thought that ABC would announce its new anchor this week during the annual upfronts, when the networks unveil their fall schedules to affiliates and advertisers.
“We heard they were going to make a decision by the upfronts and affiliates meeting,” says one network news source. “There are certain benchmarks a network goes through in making a decision, particularly in wanting their advertisers and affiliates to know what they’re doing.
“And now it’s really strange that neither has happened there.”
Sources tell The Post that Gibson will likely occupy the “WNT” anchor chair once Vargas takes her maternity leave – with Sawyer remaining on “GMA” at least through next year.
“They don’t want to take both Charlie and Diane off ‘GMA,'” says one source. “They want to keep ‘GMA’ strong.”
Gibson and Sawyer both subbed for the ailing Peter Jennings last year and were considered the frontrunners to replace him after his death.
Both were said to be disappointed when Vargas and Bob Woodruff were named the newscast’s co-anchors.
Gibson’s name resurfaced after Woodruff was seriously injured in Iraq last January, and ABC reportedly came thisclose to naming him “temporary permanent replacement” while Woodruff recovers from his injuries.
While that never happened, Gibson has now gotten the OK to take over “WNT” in Vargas’ absence once a new contract is ironed out, sources say.
“I think at some point Charlie will leave ‘GMA’ altogether,” says one insider. “They’ll probably start him off doing both ‘GMA’ and ‘WNT’ as he did before, then have him work with Vargas and transition him in to ‘WNT’ when she’s on maternity leave.”
“Nothing has been decided, and when a decision is made it will be announced to everyone,” said an ABC News source.
“You have two great broadcasts in ‘GMA’ and ‘World News Tonight.’ We want to make a strategic move that benefits both shows.”
