I'll Miss You, Charlie Gibson

Charlie Gibson, I don't want you to go. Your presence on "World News" evokes memories of my childhood, where there was dinner and there was Walter Cronkite. You are old enough to comfortably wear that old-fashioned journalistic style without seeming pompous. You know when to report with a straight face, when to push recalcitrant politicians further, and when to show emotion because that's what human beings do. You are young enough to understand the quirky side of 21st-century life and smile about it. You lead the newscast with the deftness of a conductor bringing the songs of many stories together.

How I will miss my daily 30-minute rendezvous with you, Charlie. Katie Couric and Brian Williams are only my every-now-and-then choices. When I want contrasting news stories, I watch CNN or FOX. When there is inside-the-Beltway madness to ferret out at high-octane levels, there is Chris Matthews. When I want to dig deeper into a conversation, I catch Gwen Ifill on PBS or listen to NPR. When I want the random, beautiful and horrible, I go to the blogosphere. But you, Charlie? You touch where Middle America lives.

I chuckle at the dynamics your departure will create for the networks. I don't know what's happening behind the scenes, but Elizabeth Vargas would have been my choice for your replacement. She has the same story- conducting gift that you do. But I get it, as Bonnie mentioned, about acknowledging Diane Sawyer as heir apparent because of her skills and for having stepped in with "Good Morning America." And I'm intrigued by the prospect of Sawyer and CBS anchor Katie Couric duking it out for the evening ratings. Sawyer's veteran skills and connections may bring an unexpected and influential following to the evening newscast. Most of all, the response from viewers about this healthy news competition between two women and a man (NBC anchor Brian Williams), may reveal much about America's beliefs about gender and age. Charlie, surely you thought about the Sawyer-Couric match-up when you timed your graceful exit? Care to share your insights?

Perhaps you also thought about the inevitable changes on "GMA" with Sawyer's departure. Robin Roberts and Chris Cuomo have evolved into a cool duo. They often display a priceless chemistry, and if the feel-good producers would stay out of it, I think this team could make "Good Morning America" hard-hitting for the full two hours and still squeeze in the celebrity and food chat. Let's hope ABC execs don't tamper with the Roberts-Cuomo stew.

Charlie, I wish you the best and hope you develop new outlets where we can learn from the stories you either report or orchestrate. It's going to be hard watching from now until December knowing that in 2010 you won't be in the anchor's chair. But as you wisely said in an e-mail announcing your resignation to your staff: "Life is dynamic; it is not static."

If I just could wrap my mind around that when it comes to you.


Follow Judy Howard Ellis on Twitter.