Diane Sawyer, Almost 64, to Replace Charles Gibson, 66

Diane Sawyer is kicking Charles Gibson out of the anchor seat on ABC’s evening news broadcast.

Gibson, who’s 66, is being made to retire. Sawyer, a relative youngster, will be 64 when she takes the reins in December.

Don’t be fooled by this announcement. Gibson is not ready to leave. Sawyer, however, is. She and Gibson became co-anchors of “Good Morning America” in 1999, when the show was on the ropes. She said then that she would do it for a few months. It’s been almost 11 years. In that time, she saw Gibson leave and take the national news anchor job in 2006. You can only imagine the relative seething that has occurred since then.

Don’t get me wrong: I love Diane Sawyer. I love Charlie Gibson. ABC News was in a tough position. Sawyer has been finished with “Good Morning America” for years, but held on. This news arrangement is definitely part of her contract renegotiation.

The big winner here, by the way? Katie Couric. More than a decade younger, and with a solid, running start, Couric could wind up in the No. 1 spot among the three network news anchors. After the fierce drubbing she took in the press when she started at CBS Evening News, that would be the sweetest irony of all.