TVSquad

You might think it's surprising that 20/20 anchor John Stossel is leaving ABC for Fox, but it's not really much of shock. It seems to me that there have been other high profile names that were once considered liberal firebrands -- Geraldo Rivera and Dennis Miller come to mind -- who've grown older and changed their stripes, finding a home at Fox.

Stossel, whom I recall as a staunch consumer reporter and a man who liked to tear down hypocrisy at every turn, has been a regular at ABC News for nearly three decades. Now, he's moving on to Fox Business Network where he'll have a weekly show, and Fox News where he'll make frequent guest appearances.

It was big news this week about Charlie Gibson retiring. Later on, when the headline flashed that Charlie was "livid" that Diane Sawyer was chosen to succeed him at the ABC World News anchor desk, I have to admit I was stunned. Why on earth would Charlie Gibson be so vexed by his former Good Morning America partner taking on the job he had chosen to give up?

The Daily Beast story claimed that his reaction came from a unnamed source, and that's what Variety's BLTV was writing about today. He suggested that perhaps the reporter, Rebecca Dana, had relied too much on scuttlebutt and chose to believe that Gibson was ticked off and, thus, went with the story.

I started watching the Inauguration coverage this morning on ABC, where Charlie Gibson intoned about the historical aspects of this event while Diane Sawyer awkwardly tried to keep up. In the third chair was George Stephanopoulos, who I like, but have never paid a whole lot of attention to. He got my attention, however, during this coverage with his constant interjections of random facts.

A few things I learned from George Stephanopoulos this morning:

I'm almost afraid to watch the news anymore. Let's face it - there's awful, horrible, tragic news everywhere, and most of the time, that's what the networks focus on. Are they TRYING to get us all depressed? Because it's working!

But I might start watching ABC News because they're launching a series called "Spirit of America" that will air weekly during World News With Charles Gibson. Ok, so it's only two- to three-minute segments once a week, but hey, it's a start. I'll give 'em that.

"Even with the economic crisis and the problems that affect so many people, we're trying to show that people can make a difference, both big and small," said World News executive producer Jonathan Banner.

I don't know if you can hear that rush of wind across America, but that's the sigh of relief that the Presidential election is over. Either that, or it's the millions of yawns coming from viewers like you who watched election coverage through the wee hours of the morning. Many of them, like myself, tuned into coverage hosted by ABC News.

Overall, the team of Charlie Gibson, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos did well in keeping the action going when there weren't any results to be called, which was most of the time. Other than 11:00 p.m., the winner calls only made up one to two minutes of each hour. So, the rest of the time was used for analysis, exit poll results, and playing with the touch screen map. It was after Obama was declared the winner that they were able to relay the excitement of the election and what it meant for America.

There's a moment after each World Series, when the last out is made and the winning team rushes the field, that the play-by-play folks in the booth just keep quiet. Not a word is said as the team, and the home crowd, celebrate their victory. It is always an emotional moment for those watching the events.

I personally felt the same way when Charlie Gibson announced at 11:01:01 p.m. that Barak Obama was to be the next President of the United States, and scenes of jubilation filled the screen. From that point on, the comments by Diane, George and Charlie were few, subdued and reflective. They just let the emotions of the crowds in Time Square, Harlem, Keyna, and Grant Park in Chicago flow through the screen. Just the way it was supposed to be.

The lead-up to the -- oh, hell, let's just say it -- historic announcement by Charlie was done with the build-up of tension that would have made a number of movie directors proud. You could just see him restraining the news for those 10 seconds leading up to the top of the hour. He held it well. That's why he's one of the more respected broadcasters of today.

My ABC O&O moved to local news at 11:00 P.M., so I didn't catch the McCain and Obama speeches from there. I'll provide a wrap-up of the election coverage tomorrow morning.

Okay, it's been about 80 minutes since ABC News began their coverage of the elections, and I have just one thing to say: Diane Sawyer is hot! And, I guess George Stephanopoulos is cute, as well. Other than that, there isn't much else to report about the early coverage of the 2008 Presidential election. Which, I have heard, is historic. I know this because I heard it mentioned 550 times since coverage began.

So far, I give high marks to the team of Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer, and George. I can't put my finger on it, but they seem to be the classiest and most qualified team of the Big Three networks. It's probably Charlie, who is the veteran of all of the current national news anchors. Plus, you know, Diane is hot. Together, they were able to keep the coverage moving during the first hour as the exit poll results were few and far between.

Speaking about those election results ... Thumbs up to ABC for not giving their estimates of winners in those states that are too close to call. Sure, it really didn't do much to pump up the election coverage energy, but it prevented me from throwing my remote at my HDTV screen and screaming that they were ruining the election. By the way, why does ABC's HDTV channel have the lowest volume on any channel? My volume control doesn't go high enough to get the proper sound. So, it's standard analog coverage for me, thank you very much.

John McCain wanted ten town hall style debates with Barack Obama, but after 22 Democratic debates, Barack said, "Thanks, but no thanks." So now the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates will meet three times: two traditional, one-on-one debates with a single moderator for each, and one townhall-style session with questions from the crowd.

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that NBC's Tom Brokaw, PBS's Jim Lehrer, and CBS's Bob Schieffer will be the moderators, with Gwen Ifill, the host of PBS's Washington Week handling the chores for the one vice presidential debate.

What's interesting here is that of the big three, ABC is not represented. Among the cable news crowd, Fox News and MSNBC were equally snubbed as was CNN.

I can't say why ABC was left out of the loop. However, George
Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson were both roundly criticized for their work on the Democratic debate they helmed.

If you watched the network morning shows this morning, you've seen the shocking sight of the Big Three evening news anchors -- Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charlie Gibson -- appearing on each show ... together! Gasp! How can that happen? Don't the networks have contract clauses and armies of lawyers to prevent these things from happening?

Well, I guess the lawyers tend to stay home when a good cause is involved. The anchors went on the news shows this morning to announce a cross-network telethon called Stand Up for Cancer Stand Up To Cancer, which will air on NBC, CBS, and ABC on September 5. The one-hour show will have musical performances and testimonials from all three anchors about the need for furthering cancer research (remember Couric's husband and sister both died from various forms of the disease). Money raised by the telethon will go to a number of organizations and research groups.

In an attempt to figure out how Charlie Gibson has been able to power his ABC World News Tonight past the previously dominant NBC Nightly News in the ratings for 10 of the past 14 weeks, Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz credited Gibson's "relaxed style" and willingness to go with his gut.

For example, on Tuesday night after controversial religious leader Jerry Falwell died, Gibson decided not to lead his broadcast with Falwell's death, unlike NBC and CBS. "[T]he decision underscored the extent to which Gibson is firmly in control at what recently emerged as the top-rated evening newscast," Kurtz wrote.

Bob Woodruff, the ABC News anchor who was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq last January, will soon start appearing in some primetime newscasts. His first assignment is to report on himself-- the attack and his recovery. ABC is calling his recovery "miraculous". He spent the summer recuperating with his family, where his wife says he played tennis, drove the boat and even did pilates with his sister-in-law.

ABC says Woodruff will slowly return starting this fall, but he's not getting his anchor chair back. That's all Charlie's now. Do you think there's an awkward relationship there? Bob didn't even have his anchoring gig for a month before the attack.

Print journalists are always dumping on the TV side, calling TV journalists "talking heads" or "more interested in the appearances than the news" or saying they "don't go deep enough" in their stories. So this is what makes this Wall Street Journal article so funny.

Writer Vanessa O'Connel wonders (and in the very first sentence too) "Is Katie Couric changing her look?" Yes, it's an entire article examining the new promos that CBS is running for Couric's new CBS Evening News gig. O'Connell wonders why Couric is now wearing a serious black dress and pearls instead of the clothes she wore on Today.

What, did she used to wear clown outfits and bathrobes on Today? Is she really that different? And even if she is, what, you never changed your clothing because of a job change?

But that's not all: O'Connell goes on to interview various experts about Couric's wardrobe. One of the experts even suggests that Charles Gibson (yes, he's no longer officially Charlie!) should wear lighter colors so it's "more flattering." Ugh.

Favorite line: "Neither Ms. Couric nor CBS, which hopes she'll attract younger viewers without alienating the old guard, would discuss her anchor wardrobe - although a spokesman for Ms. Couric says she at times wore the same black suit on the Today Show. But how Ms. Couric looks will help shape her images as she discusses weighty topics like The Middle East."

ABC News announced today that Charlie Gibson will be taking over as sole anchor of World News Tonight on May 29. He will be juggling the assignment with his duties as anchor on Good Morning America until the end of June, after which he will work only on the evening newscast. This news comes in the wake of Elizabeth Vargas' impending maternity leave; she will return in the fall to her duties on 20/20, and will do occasional news specials, but she will not return to WNT. The ABC announcement also mentioned that this move gives Bob Woodruff time to recover from the injuries he suffered in Iraq earlier this year; whether he'll make it back at all is still up in the air, though.

[via Mediabistro]

ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff was released from a military hospital today, six weeks after being seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. He suffered injuries to his neck, head, face, and chest and will requires many more months of rehabilitation, first in a private facility and then at his home. When he was released, doctors say he was laughing and joking with family and staff. Doug Vogt, the ABC cameraman also injured in the explosion, was released from the hospital in February.

ABC News has said that Woodruff is welcome to return to the anchor chair when he is ready. In the meantime, Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson have been subbing for him. ABC will dedicate Monday's entire episode of World News Tonight to the third anniversary of the Iraq war.

Doug Vogt, the ABC camerman who was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, is in an outpatient facility this morning. He was moved to Bethesda Medical Center to continue his recovery.

ABC World News Tonight anchor Bob Woodruff, who was injured in the same attack on Jan. 29, remains sedated. His injuries, to his upper torso, head, face, and brain, are much more serious than Vogt's. Doctors say that Woodruff is showing signs of improvement, but his road to recovery is going to be much longer and harder than Vogt's. In the meantime, ABC News chose to move Woodruff's co-anchor, Elizabeth Vargas, off the anchor desk and replace her, at least temporarily, with Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer.