“I Don’t Know How Long Bob Is Going To Be Recuperating,” But “We Have Real Reason For Hope & For Optimism”

In Monday’s Los Angeles Times, Metea Gold talks to Elizabeth Vargas, David Westin, Kate Snow, George Stephanopoulos, Jon Banner and others about how “ABC News is tested anew.” An excerpt:

Woodruff is also improving, but he remains sedated and the severity of his head injury remains unclear — along with the question of how it will affect his ability to return to the anchor chair. “I don’t know how long Bob is going to be recuperating,” Westin said. “At the same time, we have real reason for hope and for optimism.” For now, the network has turned to “Good Morning America” co-anchors Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson to fill in for Woodruff. But ABC officials acknowledge that the solution is a temporary one, and all they can do now — as they did when Jennings fell ill — is to wait. “I think we’ll just have to play it by ear,” Banner said. “It’s far too early to tell how long we’ll have to do this for. It’s a difficult time, but we’re very hopeful and we’re counting on Bob coming back as co-anchor.”

Vargas adds: “We’re trying to figure out now how to persevere and to continue to put on the very best show we can, not only because we all want to, because we all know that’s what Bob would want. Selfishly, I want Bob to return to a strong show that we can all be proud of and that is competitive.”