As ABC News continues the search for a moderator for “This Week,” the network continues to go to its bench for fill-ins — the most surprising announced yesterday.
Barbara Walters will moderate this Sunday. TVNewser has learned ABC News executive Dave Davis asked Walters to anchor, and she agreed.
And Walters has a good “get” in Roger Ailes. But this means the Fox News founder and chairman will be going up against his network’s, “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace” in many markets. Ailes doesn’t do a whole lot of TV appearances. Asked how he was booked, an ABC News spokesperson tells TVNewser, “We don’t discuss our editorial process and the booking is part of that.”
As for the search for a permanent replacement for George Stephanopoulos, ABC’s Jake Tapper and Terry Moran have been trading off Sundays, but insiders tell us not to rule out PBS’ Gwen Ifill. Her contract with PBS is apparently precluding her from filling in.
After Walters’ turn this Sunday, Tapper is back in on Feb. 7.