Gibson starts the gig Monday, giving him three months to establish himself before Couric debuts to much fanfare and a likely ratings frisson at CBS in September. This also allows ABC to go to market in the imminent upfront with a plan in place for its evening newscast.
Elizabeth Vargas, who was named co-anchor of "World News Tonight" in January, will go on maternity leave starting in August, and then return as an anchor on "20/20" and host of prime-time specials. Vargas and Bob Woodruff officially took over for Peter Jennings as co-anchors of the newscast in January, but it has been a difficult path since with Woodruff suffering severe injuries while reporting in Iraq and third-place CBS making some ratings inroads.
Gibson said in a statement that he is eager for "the broadcast to start a new chapter."
advertisement
advertisement
ABC indicated Tuesday that Woodruff will eventually return to "World News Tonight," although the timetable and role are unclear. Woodruff said in a statement: "I look forward to contributing to (Gibson's) broadcast as soon as I'm able."
Gibson will do double duty through June, continuing as co-anchor of "Good Morning America" with Diane Sawyer along with the "World News Tonight" responsibilities. In July, he will leave "GMA."
By September, the former Jennings-Rather-Brokaw evening news lineup will be Gibson, Couric, and NBC's Brian Williams.