Diane Sawyer has been the anchor of ABC's World News for just over one week, and the first week ratings are in. It's obviously very early, but here's a breakdown of the good, the bad and what the future may hold. (more...)

Q&A With Diane Sawyer's "smooth" debut last night as anchor of ABC's World News, the transitions taking place at the network are beginning to come to light. Executive Producer Jon Banner says it was a "solid" start - and talked to Mediaite about ratings, how Sawyer is different from Charlie Gibson and more. (more...)

video I've said this before, but Diane Sawyer is smooth. Her voice is smooth. Her hair is smooth. Her segues are smooth. She's even smoother than a smoothie, because those often have seeds, and seeds would never dare sully the smoothness that is Diane Sawyer. (more...)

video Sunday morning on Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz, Mediaite's editor at large Rachel Sklar stopped by to chat about George Stephanopoulos' move to Good Morning America and Charlie Gibson's final week on the ABC News. It's time for Stephanopoulos to "flex a few different muscles," Sklar said, based on his week one performance. "It's time to go online and surf the net!" That, or "they should all just go out for karaoke," she suggested. As for Gibson, Sklar was "surprised to see Muppets in his farewell." See the full clip below:

Friday was now-former ABC World News anchor Charlie Gibson's last day as anchor, and his sign-off was pretty pitch-perfect, with just the right combination of journalistic gravitas ("Objectivity is not universally in favor in our business these days, but it is critically important. It is what we strive for each night") and clearly-felt sentiment (“It has been a privilege and an honor to be here working with reporters, producers and staff for whom I have unbounded respect"). Gibson, as per usual, kept it calm and steady, though hearing him talk about it being hard to leave and then realizing just how long he'd been with ABC ("the past third of a century," as he put it) gave it an extra dimension behind his newsman's poker face. It was a succinct but warm sign-off, as befits an occupant of a network anchor chair. (more...)

Tonight is Charlie Gibson's last broadcast as the anchor of ABC World News. Even though it's going quietly, it's the end of an era. When Peter Jennings revealed he was stepping down from the anchor chair, he was the last of the Big Three to do so — Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw had both left their posts the previous year, and Jennings signaled the end of their shared era but it was not yet apparent that the primacy of the evening news was an era that had passed. It was only in the bumpy succession that it became clear that keeping that half-hour of news relevant and essential viewing for millions of Americans — then and still the biggest combined audience for news around — was going to be a challenge. NBC had had a smooth transition from Brokaw to Brian Williams, and CBS had stablilized with Bob Schieffer after Dan Rather's abrupt departure.

At ABC, though, there was turmoil. After Jennings stepped down in April 2005, and then after his death in August of that year, there was no succession plan and ABC News president David Westin dragged his feet on making a decision, even though Gibson had been the reliable fill-in for Jennings. Finally, in December 2005, Westin decided to make Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff co-anchors of World News. But in January 2006 on a trip to Iraq, Woodruff was gravely injured, scuttling that plan. After some more turmoil and a very wobbly tenure for all concerned, including Gibson's on-air partner at GMA, Diane Sawyer, Gibson was officially made the anchor of ABC World News (then still "World News Tonight") and took over the chair.

Why must a discussion of Gibson's tenure always begin with that wobbly start? Because of what came after it: Stability. Charlie Gibson in that anchor chair was a steady, dependable rock — exactly what was needed at World News after such a rough ride, and really the only thing that could have kept things on an even keel in the 6:30 p.m. hour. (more...)

video Ashley Dupre made a stop at The View today to talk about her new New York Post column, cheating men and more. Soon-to-be departing ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson was there too, but he was the 2nd guest (priorities). Also, she poked fun at how little the Post pays (it's no prostitution, that's for sure). (more...)

Yesterday the news came out that George Stephanopoulos had been "offered" the Good Morning America job being vacated at the end of next week when Diane Sawyer takes over for Charlie Gibson the following week on World News. The Washington Post reported the story as "BREAKING" - but it wasn't a surprise. What it means is Stephanopoulos has to take the job. (more...)

video "Tonight a new era begins on this broadcast," said NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams five years ago this night, as he officially took over the anchor chair from Tom Brokaw. Since then he has been to Iraq, Afghanistan, New Orleans, Waveland, Banda Aceh, Germany, Hong Kong and Israel in the line of duty, often wearing this shirt. He's also covered news at home, obviously, taking him from storm-ravaged New Orleans to fire-ravaged California, not to mention a hugely historic presidential election — all through probably the most tumultuous time in media since Chet Huntley and David Brinkley wished each other goodnight. (more...)

Many changes are about to take place at ABC News, as Charlie Gibson officially signs off as anchor of World News December 18. If George Stephanopoulos gets Diane Sawyer's GMA gig, Nightline anchor Terry Moran could be the odds-on favorite at This Week. (more...)

The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams won the 2008-2009 season - and was the only network newscast to gain viewers year-to-year. The 2009-2010 season will see a big change, as Diane Sawyer assumes the anchor chair from Charlie Gibson on ABC's World News. But after 13 seasons on top - will ABC or CBS be able to catch NBC? (more...)

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In the sea of congratulatory quotes and jolly press releases about Diane Sawyer's ascendence to the World News throne, Daily Beast reporter Rebecca Dana's report that Charlie Gibson was "livid" that Sawyer was taking his anchor slot on ABC stood out. But was it accurate? (more...)

We know who will be the new anchor on ABC starting January 2010 - Diane Sawyer. So what does her future competition think of the move? Mediaite has statements from CBS' Katie Couric and NBC's Brian Williams: (more...)

A major shake-up for ABC World News will take place beginning in 2010, as anchor Charlie Gibson will retire and Diane Sawyer will step in as his replacement. Sawyer, currently an anchor on ABC's Good Morning America, regularly fills in on World News for Gibson. Despite diminishing ratings from its heyday, the three evening news anchor spots are still prime real estate. And ABC is playing it up big online. (more...)

Remember when an anchor stepping down was a huge deal? Tom Brokaw. Dan Rather. Peter Jennings. These names were huge pillars of the news ecosystem, and their departures were big stories — as well as the fraught issue of who had the gravitas, the experience, the journalistic, anchorly heft to step into their enormous shoes. The last transition was just a few years ago, but oh how things have changed. Today, the news that Charlie Gibson is leaving ABC's World News after only a few years in the top spot is definitely news, but is shaking no foundations. It's also not at all surprising who is replacing him: Diane Sawyer. And why should it? Sawyer's got a track record a mile long. She's an accomplished journalists, well-known to ABC viewers over the year, a longtime partner of Gibson and equal to him in stature at the network, as well as in the upper echelons of that news ecosystem. Well, for one thing, Sawyer's a woman. (more...)

The immediate reaction to Gov. Sarah Palin's unexpected announcement Friday: mass confusion by the "media elites." The timing was less a "news dump" and more a "screw you" to her mortal enemies in the fourth estate. This time, though, even the conservatives were confused: Charles Krauthammer called it "erratic;" Hot Air's Ed Morrissey essentially wrote her political obituary.

Oh, "gotcha" media, you just don't understand how things are done in the "real world." (more...)