Jim Gardner’s last broadcast as the anchor of Action News was unsurprisingly a massive win for 6ABC (WPVI-TV), with almost four of every five local viewers at the time tuning in to watch the end of a historic career, reports The Philadelphia Business Journal.
ABC said the Wednesday night 6 p.m. newscast was watched by 540,000 people, or 79% of all viewers at the time. The station said its 10 Facebook posts on the day — all Gardner related – earned more than 1.6 million impressions.
After 46 years as the station's main anchor, virtually during all of which 6ABC topped the local television news ratings, Gardner, 74, retired. Longtime 6ABC anchor Brian Taff will take over as Gardner’s official successor at 6 p.m., while Rick Williams assumed Gardner’s 11 p.m. role earlier this year.
Teared up watching Jim Gardner sign off for the final time at 6
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) December 21, 2022
Like he has for 40+ years @Jim_Gardner did it with class & grace!
Congrats on a well deserved retirement!
You will be missed! pic.twitter.com/e97rw4WA5q
In a two-minute monologue at the end of Wednesday's newscast, Gardner defended the American free press from attacks "from elements embedded in our own society" and said "it worries me deeply." He closed by saying Taff would be in the anchor chair Thursday "and I won't be surprised if he's still sitting here decades from now. Funny how that seems to happen at Action News."
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