Charlie Gibson "Livid" Over Choice Of Diane Sawyer As Replacement: Report

The Daily Beast's Rebecca Dana reports that Charlie Gibson is "livid" over the choice of Diane Sawyer as his replacement on ABC's "World News."

Dana quotes a source close to Gibson and supports the claim with the evidence that Gibson neither mentioned Sawyer in his statement nor referenced his retirement — and her succession — on his broadcast Wednesday night:

Dana writes:

Although they worked closely for more than a decade, Gibson makes no direct reference to Sawyer in the statement, and a source close to the departing anchor described him as "livid" that she's succeeding him. An ABC executive called this "nonsense," and Westin said he told Gibson from their earliest conversations about his retirement that Sawyer would be his replacement.

READ DANA'S FULL REPORT HERE

Both Brian Williams on NBC and Maggie Rodriguez (filling in for Katie Couric) on CBS reported the ABC anchor shift. Williams took a personal tone, calling both Gibson and Sawyer "friends" of his and joking, "As a service to our viewers, we will let you know how their transition goes just to save you from the effort of having to watch yourself. My very best to both Charlie and Diane." Rodriguez simply added, "Congratulations to them both" (watch below).

Several reports indicate that Gibson told ABC News President David Westin of his intention to retire (not for the first time) last week, and that Westin immediately knew he would tap Sawyer to replace him. He reportedly considered no other candidates, asked Sawyer to replace Gibson last Thursday, and she agreed Tuesday night.

However, Westin told the New York Times, "This was not a result I wanted," meaning that he did not want Gibson to retire.

Sawyer, for her part, was reportedly (again) concerned first about Gibson before she would accept the job. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reports that Sawyer's first question when Westin offered her the job was, "Can't we talk Charlie into staying?"

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Sawyer had expressed interest in the anchor job when it became available in 2006, but did not want to pursue it if it meant taking it away from Gibson.

Kurtz adds that when Gibson first approached Westin to discuss retirement earlier this summer, he told him Sawyer would likely be his replacement.

"I certainly expressed to him my view it was quite likely that Diane would be the successor," Westin told Kurtz.

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Comments

[Osusuki]

ABC still has a news division? I assumed it had been replaced with reality shows, dance contests and prime time soaps.

[dennisrs]

Sorry Charlie--Tuff Tuna!

[ebanks84]

She's just another TV newsperson who will follow the script. Nothing new here!

[dennisrs]

Katie should be worried Diane at least has a real personality as opposed to Katie's robot like actions.

[carl99e]

I have to disagree with the comment that says she has class. In a pigs eye. She shows a remarkable lack of tact and decency. She represents what is happening to the main stream media today. All headline and no substance. For a woman who has been given so much, she is remarkably lacking in gifts and talent.

[SeesBeyond]

Too bad Sarah Palin wasn't picked to replace old Charlie. Ya think picking Diane Sawyer caused him tight jaw muscles? Haw! (A delicious thought, even if only a fantasy.)

[lyingtruth]

I remember Sawyer as Richard Nixon's pet aide. She is credited with helping him keep his mojo working during tough times!

[lilkunta]

What about Eliz Vargas? Why cant she be the anchor?

I didnt know Diane is 63. Does ABC require her to die her hair to appear young?
A shame bc all the men are allowed to age: gray hair, wrinkes, etc.

[TheOldSchool]

I'm guessing that "close source" Dana quoted in her Daily Beast article was "close," only in the sense that he or she was standing next to Gibson in a crowded elevator.

[xlntcat]

You find alot of "close sources" that seem to only exist in the imagination of the Daily Beast contributors when reading their publication. Most grown ups know that when you leave a position you have no say so nor should you have feelings one way or the other about your replacement. We are talking heir to the throne.

[ultrabop]

What a lightweight wingnut that guys is!

[terkid]

Bizarre that retirement-aged (66) Charlie is being replaced by almost

retirement-age (63) Diane. Obviously, she's a seat-warmer for one of those

young brunette (can never remember their names) whipper-snappers.

GMA shall surely miss, as will their viewers, its aging blond lynch-pin.

I also question Diane's "patience" at waiting for this anointment - surely,

she's rattled many a cage in the ABC corporate zoo in her driven desire

for this "plum (?)" It's all kinda weird, but understandable in ABC's inability

to create / find / nurture new, young (like under 60!!) stars.

[dianhow]

I wish our old white rich ' out of touch ' Senators - Congress men - women would
ALL RETIRE. 25 -30 yrs is way too long on the PUBLIC DOLE.
We need fresh faces- ideas-

[Colmore]

AMEN!

[VTya]

Ditto for the network executives! The world is changing! It is time to put an end to the
" high-paying media jobs for the white boys and girls only" club. We need fresh, intelligent, modern people. No .... I don't mean the pretty-emp­ty-headed-­models currently hired by old-white-male- network executives Time for change in the corporate media. We need to take it back from the right-wing. I have to read foreign news outlets to find out what's happening in our country and the rest of the world.

[JacklynD]

Experience has a place in the world - you know the one that created the country you inhabit and that elected a black president. Your statement is offensive.

[guyfrombrooklyn]

Yeah.

Imagine if I told my boss that I was ANGRY at the replacement for me.

I'd get the same PROPS as Mr Gibson.

He'd be concerned.

Yeah. That's the ticket.

[WomenofCertainAge]

Charles Gibson has been a disappointment from the get-go. ABC News is my last choice at night. I'll take Brian & Katie any day because they are better interviewers and their personal politics are less transparent. I felt Gibson threw softballs at Palin and was obviously sympathetic to the Republican side of things during the 08 Presidential election. Two female news anchors is great for the glass ceiling. She started out with Nixon but she seems to keep her politics, whatever they may be, under wraps. Should be interesting.

Personally, I think Queen Latifah would be EXCELLENT.

[TheBiggerPickerUpper]

First off, it is well-known to all in the media that Diane Sawyer is a flaming liberal and that fact will also soon be known to the soon to be dwindling number of viewers of ABCs World News Tonight. The reason Gibson resigned is because he could see he was fighting a loosing battle to keep the integrity of WNT by providing viewers balanced reporting. Those in the know-know that all three network news divisions have become nothing more than propaganda tools for left-wing radicals. Couric was hired at CBS to be the first female anchor and that experiment has bombed. Fox News...a Cable news operation.­..is now garnering higher ratings than the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric! Her numbers are worse than Rather's and few thought that possible. I predict Sawyer's number's will do the same at WNT. It's not only because she's a woman, it's because Sawyer like Couric are liberal in their views (unlike a majority of Americans) AND they allow their bias to seep into their reporting. Fox News will be the only news organization to profit from this change of anchors.//

[jotunloki]

It'd be nice if you could count.

[Leper]

>>well-known to all in the media that Diane Sawyer is a flaming liberal...

Well-known to whom? Angry white conservative men?

[liberalmedia]

I used to work with both Charlie and Diane, and your comments are absolutely ridiculous­... as is the contention that Charlie was "livid" about Diane replacing him. People who know him know he doesn't *do* "livid." It's unprofessional, and he is the ultimate professional.

My guess is someone noticed he didn't mention in Diane in his good-bye email (because he most likely had written it a while ago) and came to this ridiculous conclusion.

The notion that any news organizations out there are "liberal" or left-leaning is because viewers see what they want to see. I know this for a fact because a good friend of mine who listens to Rush Limbaugh and used to call Bill Clinton "slick Willie" off the air was also accused of having liberal bias (we all had a good chuckle about that one).

The only news outlet that skews its news politically is FNC. And I say that as a former Fox employee.

[dianhow]

Bigger Sawyer - a Flaming Lib you say ?? well- We have been living under the FLAMMNG RIGHT WING TOXIC policies - from Reagan's 1981 deregulation policies
to Bush meltdown 2008. Just Look where that led us...The right wing had 29 yrs-
THEY LOST fair & square. SO WE'LL GIVES LIBS A TRY...
also- Libs have not done the massive damage that the GOP has.
iN their 29 YR REIGN OF GREED- LACK OF SAFE GUARDS- KISSING THE BUTTS OF FAT CATS .
WHATEVER happens- we are better off without the right wing GOP.

[ultrabop]

If you'd step out of your trailer home for a moment, you might realize that most Americans are more liberal than Diane Sawyer.

Fox is not a news station. It is like every other network station, a mouthpiece for the corporate state, interested only in making money through the advertising of beer, Viagra, and shampoo.

[dianhow]

AGE Queen Latifah !!
I know not much about Diane Sawyer. But I DO like Brian Wms- Katie Couric. Way too many news anchors do softball interviews - CNN's John King-almost bowed to Cheney- letting him lie- mis inform unchallenged !! NO tough follow ups NONE ! Are the corp owned & run news media becoming ' gutless' wonders ? Seems so . Maddow -PBS- BBC are quite good- facts we do not see elsewhere- LIKE ON FOX the right wing propaganda show.
THat Beck guy is really off his rocker Whew !

[xlntcat]

King goes way back with Cheney and he allows all GOP to lie without challenge. He isn't a reporter or a journalist. King is a propogandists.

[getitrighthistime]

Why not a young person with a different point of view?

[Waldimore]

You're kidding right? It was the Gibson/Palin interview that really effed things up for Sarah. And the only softballs Gibson threw during '08 was to Obama.

[dianhow]

Wald
I never saw the Gibson - Palen thing. I said PBS - Maddow are good. and Couric- Brian Wms. I liked the Couric interview with Palen.. Do not watch Gibson much

[Colmore]

What "effed things up for Sarah" was her complete lack of knowledge about - well - ANYTHING. She was way out of her depth, which presumably was a third rate beauty pageant. Palin was not, nor will she ever be "ready for primetime". You can take the "girl" out of the boondocks, but you - well - you know the rest.

[xlntcat]

He asked Palin one and only one question that any eleventh grade high school student could have answered and she was clueless as to what the "Bush Doctrine" was. She effed the interview up all by herself. You would have thought that Couric was engaged in therapy she was so gentle. No one other the Palin herself is too blame for her own ignorance. At no time throughout the campaign did anyone play Hardball with Palin. Brian Wms let her sink herself without challenge. The fact that a potentialy VP candidate who had expressed all kinds of snarky criticisms about Obama's be willing to sit down with adversaries without pre-conditions should have known what a pre-condition was and not knowing should have realized that everyone else did.

[Eyeheartfreedumb]

Revisionist history should be taught (more) in school next to creationis­m...

[Anandas]

wow, people get a life!!

[Wdyafo]

Charlie way over estimated how he is viewed by the public. He quit, his boss replaced him, end of story. No one cared about his opinion on who should replace him.

[dianhow]

Wdy Yes Gibson is surely replaceable Lets see how Diane does

[Eclectic Radical]

The Daily Beast said it, so HuffPo is saying it? Is that where we are now?

This is not far away from the scandal coverage we all complain about in the mainstream media, where if CBS says it then ABC and NBC and CNN all have to say it too so they can say they weren't scooped. Then, when it turns out to be silly garbage, everyone still believes what the media was spouting about the scandal because it bombarded us from every direction for so long.

The Daily Beast article is not attributed or supported, no meaningful motivation is offered as to why Gibson is upset nor is there concrete evidence that he is upset. Why is it being repeated here?