Philly TV: 6ABC Picks Rick Williams For Action News at 11pm

Jim Gardner

Newser Jim Gardner anchored his last 11 p.m. newscast on WPVI 6ABC last night after 44 years behind the Action News desk. While Gardner will continue anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast until he retires at the end of the year, 6ABC has turned to a veteran to fill his shoes at 11 p.m. — at least for the time being, according to the Philly Business Journal.

Rick Williams, who has been an Action News staple since 1988, will take over at 11 p.m. beginning Wednesday. Aside from Gardner, Williams has been at the Philadelphia region’s top-rated newscast longer than any other on-air personality.

Williams currently co-anchors Action News at 5 p.m. on 6ABC (WPVI-TV) and Action News at 10 p.m. on PHL-17. He also reports for Action News' weekly "Crimefighters" series. The spokesman said Williams will relinquish his 10 p.m. duties but remain on the 5 p.m. newscast. No replacement at 10 p.m. has been named as of yet.

6ABC President and General Manager Bernie Prazenica said in a statement that Williams “is uniquely qualified by his 30+ years of experience in anchoring Action News in the morning, noon and evening. His knowledge of our region and deep roots in our community make him the perfect choice."

Rick Williams

In his own prepared statement, Williams said, "It's no small thing to be able to follow a news icon and, in many ways, a role model. Jim set the journalistic bar very high at 11 o'clock, and I hope I can maintain the same standard of excellence ... while also having a bit of fun with my evening colleagues. It's going to be exciting!”

Williams will work with sports anchor Ducis Rodgers and chief meteorologist Cecily Tynan at 11 p.m.

Williams arrived in Philadelphia in 1988 from WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to that, he worked at WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia; and at WUSA in Washington, D.C. He began his career in radio soon after graduating from Howard University with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.