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Name Game Begins About Jennings' Replacement

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

ABC announced Monday _ just a bit more than a week after the death of Peter Jennings _ that it is taking Jennings' name off "World News Tonight."

Jennings, who died of lung cancer Aug. 7, made his last appearance on the program April 5.

Cathie Levine, a spokeswoman for the ABC News show, declined to speculate on candidates for the anchor job. But there's plenty of speculation in national media circles, since Jennings' successor will be an important long-range appointment.

Despite dire predictions by some "experts," the three evening newscasts are not yet in dinosaur land, although audiences skew older and diminish slightly annually. The newscasts remain a source of network revenue.

The loss of Jennings has created a puzzle for the Walt Disney Co. in the need to put a lot of pieces together.

Prime candidates include Charles Gibson, and Elizabeth Vargas, who have been filling in since Jennings left the air in early April. Also mentioned: Diane Sawyer, White House correspondent Terry Moran and weekend anchor and reporter Bob Woodruff.

Meanwhile, the Internet blog sites are crowded with speculative cable names, including MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Fox's Shepard Smith and CNN's Anderson Cooper.

The logical choice would seem to be Gibson, although his age (62) might be a negative.

But Gibson, along with Sawyer, drives the engine for ABC's "Good Morning America," which has inched into the ratings territory of NBC's "Today."

Dare ABC break up this combination?

Keep in mind that the lengthy network morning shows have become more profitable than the evening newscasts.

Gibson won't continue to do both jobs indefinitely.

Other questions to the puzzle abound.

Robin Roberts was recently named co-host of "GMA."

Will she and Sawyer remain on "GMA" while Gibson moves on to "World News Tonight"?

Is ABC ready to make TV history by installing a woman (Vargas or Sawyer) as the first sole network news anchor?

Moran and Woodruff? Both are in their 40s, so either would be considered a long-term appointment.

What about "Nightline"?

Keep in mind that Ted Koppel departs the network in late December. And ABC News President David Westin has indicated the news format will remain.

So who will anchor?

You don't have to be a highly paid analyst to know that such questions are being asked every day by Disney and ABC executives.

Meanwhile, CBS probably will wait to announce its plans until ABC makes a decision.

And NBC's Brian Williams, the veteran of the anchor wars (not yet nine months on the job) continues to lead the nightly news audience race.

(Contact Dusty Saunders of the Rocky Mountain News at www.rockymountainnews.com.)

© 2005 Scripps Howard News Service.

All Rights Reserved.

Source: Scripps Howard

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