Call it the ABC shuffle.
Elizabeth Vargas is out and Charles Gibson is in as the sole anchor of the Alphabet net's World News Tonight broadcast, ABC announced on Tuesday.
With the former pregnant and expected to go on maternity leave this summer and with coanchor Bob Woodruff still recovering from wounds suffered from a roadside bomb in Iraq just a month after assuming the post, ABC News President David Westin apparently decided the time was right to make the switch.
The move is intended to shore up the struggling evening newscast ratings-wise and restoring some much needed continuity.
"Charlie Gibson is one of the most distinguished journalists on television. He is a superb broadcaster, the consummate professional and a very familiar presence to the audience and everyone at World News Tonight," Westin said in a statement.
Added Gibson: "I am humbled to accept this new assignment. I have witnessed first hand the grace and determination of every member of the staff of World News Tonight. I look forward to joining the extraordinary team and to helping the broadcast start a new chapter."
The Good Morning America host is no slouch in the hard news department, having filled in at the anchor desk following the death of longtime lead anchor Peter Jennings from lung cancer.
But when ABC News executives approached him to take over the gig, he rejected their overtures, leading Westin to appoint the younger anchor team of Vargas and Woodruff. At the time, the thought was that a two anchor format could cover more ground than one person by doing more live reports on location and a separate WNT broadcast for west coast viewers. Unfortunately, the Vargas-Woodruff tandem lasted barely a month before the latter was injured.
After learning that Woodruff's recovery could take as long as a year and that Vargas' doctors had recommended she scale back her workload because of her pregnancy, Westin was eventually forced to look elsewhere to prop up the ailing telecast.
The shakeup was particularly timely given World News Tonight's precipitous drop in the ratings. The newscast recently fell into last place behind NBC Nightly News and a newly rejuvenated CBS Evening News.
Despite ABC's initial reluctance to split up its powerhouse pairing at GMA in the form of Gibson and Diane Sawyer, the network began talking with the 63-year-old newsman again about making the shift.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The veteran journo will begin his World News Tonight tenure on Monday but will continue getting up early to coanchor GMA with Sawyer through June 30.
Vargas announced she'll follow her doctor's advice and step down to focus on the impending birth but will be back to coanchor ABC's 20/20 in the fall.
"I have loved every day I spent at World News Tonight and have endless respect for my colleagues there," she said. "This broadcast needs someone who can give 150 percent, day in and day out. I am not in a position to give that right now, and it wouldn't be fair to do any less. In Charlie, this broadcast and news division has a wonderful and respected leader."
As for Woodruff, after he completely recovers from the severe head and bodily injuries he sustained as a result of shrapnel, he indicated he'll return to World News Tonight in a supporting role.
"Elizabeth and I set out on a great adventure this year, and I'm proud of what we accomplished. Elizabeth had to shoulder an enormous job when I was injured, and she did it with grace. Charlie Gibson is a mentor and a friend. I look forward to contributing to his broadcast as soon as I'm able."
Network execs are hopeful that a Gibson-helmed World News Tonight will make up some ground against his chief competitors, Brian Williams at NBC and Bob Schieffer at CBS before the latter is expected to hand things over to Katie Couric in the fall, after her contract with the Today Show expires at the end of this month.