ABC News.... it gets worse from here....

[Garrett]

At least for the people in charge, that is. That's because Elizabeth Vargas is Pregnant.
Here you go: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060210/ap_en_tv/tv_vargas_expecting

At this point maybe ABC News should just give up. Or, maybe they should cancel ABC World News Tonight, and launch a new newscast some time later, when they know who they will have available. I think, technically, they can't fire Vargas, because of legislation against descrimination for people on maternaty.

Congrats to her by the way. I guess having a baby is a blessing, but for the folks at WMT, it almsot seem like a curse (unless they can teach that baby to start reading news, LOL)!

 

[RobertMoore]

I don't think ABC should give up. Woodruff will be back and Vargas will continue to work double duty at "WNT" and "20/20" until she gets close to her due date. ABC is committed to keeping the two in the anchor seat, so the only thing they can do at this point is to let Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer continue to sub for them until one of them return. Plus the new pairing is doing well in the ratings, so I don't see ABC replacing them.

 

[Braves2005]

> I don't think ABC should give up. Woodruff will be back and
> Vargas will continue to work double duty at "WNT" and
> "20/20" until she gets close to her due date. ABC is
> committed to keeping the two in the anchor seat, so the only
> thing they can do at this point is to let Charlie Gibson and
> Diane Sawyer continue to sub for them until one of them
> return. Plus the new pairing is doing well in the ratings,
> so I don't see ABC replacing them.

No,I don't think ABC should give up. A lot of newscasters,both local and national,went through their pregnancies until close to their due dates(Katie Couric for one done twice as a matter of fact).

The new pairing of Woodruff and Vargas only lasted a month and then Woodruff received serious injuries in Iraq and now with the pregnancy of Elizabeth Vargas puts a lot into consideration since there is a time of healing for Woodruff and the baby is due in September or October at best and then there is her maternity leave afterwards. My guess would be don't expect to see both Vargas and Woodruff together as a team this year. I would say that Woodruff would be back in the fall and by the first part of 2007 both Bob and Elizabeth will be back together.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Hopefully, Bob Woodruff will be back soon enough so that he and Elizabeth Vargas can coanchor "World News Tonight" for at least a few weeks prior to Vargas' maternity leave.

 

[munchkin]

> I don't think ABC should give up. Woodruff will be back and
> Vargas will continue to work double duty at "WNT" and
> "20/20" until she gets close to her due date. ABC is
> committed to keeping the two in the anchor seat, so the only
> thing they can do at this point is to let Charlie Gibson and
> Diane Sawyer continue to sub for them until one of them
> return. Plus the new pairing is doing well in the ratings,
> so I don't see ABC replacing them.


I'm sorry, are Gibson and Sawyer the only competent news anchors they have in that place. I realize that there is a lot at stake here, but it does seem to show how shallow the ABC News bench is...

 

[munchkin]

> No,I don't think ABC should give up. A lot of
> newscasters,both local and national,went through their
> pregnancies until close to their due dates(Katie Couric for
> one done twice as a matter of fact).
>
Maybe Dave Westin should give Katie a call...

 

[formeraa]

> Hopefully, Bob Woodruff will be back soon enough so that he
> and Elizabeth Vargas can coanchor "World News Tonight" for
> at least a few weeks prior to Vargas' maternity leave.
>
With all due respect to the optimism of the posters here, I have spoken with several of my doctor friends about Bob's condition. They all say that Bob faces a very long period of recovery -- possibly years. They also point out that some people do have a miraculously short recovery period. However, I would certainly NOT expect Bob back this year.

 

[nuzguy]

> > Hopefully, Bob Woodruff will be back soon enough so that
> he
> > and Elizabeth Vargas can coanchor "World News Tonight" for
>
> > at least a few weeks prior to Vargas' maternity leave.
> >
> With all due respect to the optimism of the posters here, I
> have spoken with several of my doctor friends about Bob's
> condition. They all say that Bob faces a very long period
> of recovery -- possibly years. They also point out that
> some people do have a miraculously short recovery period.
> However, I would certainly NOT expect Bob back this year.


Point well made. And ABC is facing a replay of the dilemma it encountered with the announcement of Peter Jennings' illness--how long to wait before there's no further mention of Woodruff in the opening and closing of WNT.

In debating what to do and when regarding Jennings' possible return, his death tragically answered the question. Chapter Two now with Woodruff--when to cease considering him as an integral part of WNT, in name if not in function. His prognosis for survival seems somewhat improved, but as many have posted, the date of his return seems far in the future and no less in question. Meantime, ABC News is searching for and desperately needs stability in its anchor lineup. Some word from doctors that "it may be quite some time" (almost a given it seems) would allow ABC some leeway in making a definitive move without appearing to prematurely move Woodruff aside.

Meantime a fine journalist and his camera man lie seriously wounded, while ABC officials no doubt ponder the point at which their humanitarian acts and moral obligation to Mr. Woodruff end and taking care of business begins. Not an easy path to tread.

 

[radiolives]

How about their guy from Washington, D.C. George, use him. But I never really cared for ABC World News Tonight. Never seemed to be update with how NBC and CBS are such as with graphics and everything. ABC just seemed to use their same old graphics when NBC and CBS got a fresh new makeover with graphics. Plus I watched either NBC News or CBS News at 6:30pm. But I am starting to watch CBS News more now.

 

[Almo]

> > > Hopefully, Bob Woodruff will be back soon enough so that
>
> > he
> > > and Elizabeth Vargas can coanchor "World News Tonight"
> for
> >
> > > at least a few weeks prior to Vargas' maternity leave.
> > >
> > With all due respect to the optimism of the posters here,
> I
> > have spoken with several of my doctor friends about Bob's
> > condition. They all say that Bob faces a very long period
>
> > of recovery -- possibly years. They also point out that
> > some people do have a miraculously short recovery period.
>
> > However, I would certainly NOT expect Bob back this year.
>
>
> Point well made. And ABC is facing a replay of the dilemma
> it encountered with the announcement of Peter Jennings'
> illness--how long to wait before there's no further mention
> of Woodruff in the opening and closing of WNT.
>
> In debating what to do and when regarding Jennings' possible
> return, his death tragically answered the question. Chapter
> Two now with Woodruff--when to cease considering him as an
> integral part of WNT, in name if not in function. His
> prognosis for survival seems somewhat improved, but as many
> have posted, the date of his return seems far in the future
> and no less in question. Meantime, ABC News is searching
> for and desperately needs stability in its anchor lineup.
> Some word from doctors that "it may be quite some time"
> (almost a given it seems) would allow ABC some leeway in
> making a definitive move without appearing to prematurely
> move Woodruff aside.
>
> Meantime a fine journalist and his camera man lie seriously
> wounded, while ABC officials no doubt ponder the point at
> which their humanitarian acts and moral obligation to Mr.
> Woodruff end and taking care of business begins. Not an
> easy path to tread.

Not nice to hit a network while they are down,so let's just say they have had terrible luck, and they should just hand the job full time to Charlie Gibson. I never bought into the on-the-scene co-anchor concept and this after all, is the net which fired their GMA cohosts after a few months time to bring in Gibson and Sawyer. They likely won't do it again,but they could.

 

[formeraa]

Please understand that my comments about Bob's return were not meant to be callous in any way. I am just afraid that we are being too optimistic. As a decent human being, I would like to see Bob back sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to happen. I am very concerned about his future prognosis (as well as the hundreds of troups with similar conditions that we rarely hear about). My thoughts and prayers are with the Woodruff family and the families of all the injured troops.