Charlie Gibson to Retire From ABC News

Dec. 14, 2009— -- Charles Gibson, who has served as the anchor of ABC's flagship broadcast "World News" since May 2006, will officially retire from full-time employment at ABC News Friday, Dec. 18. Gibson announced his plans to retire Sept. 2, and "Good Morning America" co-anchor Diane Sawyer was named as his replacement.

"It has not been an easy decision to make," Gibson wrote in an e-mail to his staff. "This has been my professional home for almost 35 years. And I love this news department, and all who work in it, to the depths of my soul."

"Most importantly, my heart is full of gratitude for those with whom I have had the privilege to work as a correspondent, as a host at Good Morning America, at Special Events, and now as anchor at World News," he added.

Gibson joined ABC News in 1975, and was named White House correspondent in 1976, covering Gerald Ford's presidential campaign. From 1977 to 1981, he reported on a variety of national news stories as a general assignment reporter -- including investigations of the Central Intelligence Agency and economic stories. From 1981 to 1987, Gibson served as the chief correspondent at the House of Representatives, covering Tip O'Neill and his opposition to President Reagan's policies.

Gibson on 'Good Morning America'

In 1987, Gibson was named co-anchor of "Good Morning America." He anchored the broadcast until 1998, then returned to relaunch "GMA" with Diane Sawyer from January 1999 to June 2006.

At "Good Morning America," Gibson reported on many of the key events that shaped our world. He anchored the morning broadcast on Sept. 11, 2001, beginning the network's award-winning coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In June 2001, Gibson anchored ABC's live coverage of the Timothy McVeigh execution from the Oklahoma City National Memorial. He had reported from the scene days after the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in April 1995, and continued to follow the story on multiple return visits to Oklahoma City.

In February 2003, he reported on the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, anchoring "GMA" from the Johnson Space Center in Houston and winning an Emmy for his hour-long "Primetime Thursday" investigation titled "Columbia Final Mission."

In 2005, Gibson traveled to Vatican City to cover the death of Pope John Paul II. He anchored the network's coverage of the Pope's funeral and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. Gibson's reporting was later recognized with a DuPont-Columbia Award.