Reuters
Diane Sawyer is changing the landscape of American broadcast television news and is likely hoping history won’t repeat itself when she becomes the second woman to solo anchor a major evening news program.
After more than 10 years co-anchoring Good Morning America, Sawyer left on Friday to become anchor of ABC’s World News on December 21, replacing Charles Gibson who is retiring.
In the hotly contested time slot, she will go up against CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and Brian Williams at NBC Nightly News, who becomes the lone male anchor.
Skeptics wondered if Couric’s history on a morning talk show and her bubbly personality would be a hindrance as she ventured into hard news. She initially received good ratings but the program has since been consistently marred by low ratings.
Sawyer, a pioneer among women in U.S. broadcast television news with a history of serious reporting, will also be scrutinized but not like Couric who became the first solo female anchor of a traditional news program at CBS in 2006. More…