Vargas/Woodruff: Gibson Wanted The Job; Westin Won’t Discuss The Situation

David Westin tells the Associated Press that his WNT “anchor decision was made solely with ‘World News Tonight,’ not other broadcasts, in mind.”

Charlie Gibson was interested in the evening news job, but he apparently told Westin that “I have a great job now and I will be perfectly happy whichever way this goes.”

“He’s been steadfast about that,” Westin said.

But the ABC News president wouldn’t discuss the factors that went into his anchor decision, or whether Gibson was ever considered.

A “well-placed ABC News official” and a “former ABC exec” tell Newsweek’s Johnnie Roberts that ABC News “explored ways to have Gibson do both” GMA and WNT. “Under one scenario, they said, he would have anchored the evening news and co-hosted GMA on Fridays and possibly Mondays. However, Gibson was said to have grown frustrated with the auditioning, especially on top of his GMA duties, and asked to scale back his appearance as a substitute for Jennings.”

Gibson did not return David Bauder‘s phone call requesting comment…