Sawyer to Be Anchor Substitute for ABC

As part of her deal to come to ABC from CBS, Diane Sawyer will get to substitute-anchor both “World News Tonight” and “Nightline,” ABC News President Roone Arledge said Thursday.

He emphasized, however, that she’ll be concentrating on the main reason ABC hired her--co-anchoring with Sam Donaldson a new prime-time news series that Arledge said probably will debut at the end of July or in early August.

“For the first couple of years, her interest is almost totally going to be on this program,” he said of the as-yet untitled series, to originate live from New York. Plans call for it to air at 10 p.m. Thursdays.

“But yes, I’ve told her that we would love to have her substitute for Peter,” he said, referring to anchor Peter Jennings of “World News Tonight,” although others also will fill in for Jennings. The same goes for her fill-in appearances for Ted Koppel on “Nightline,” he said.

Asked if she wanted to fill in on both programs, he replied, “yes, very much so.”

Arledge spoke in an interview a day after Sawyer, who had been with CBS News since 1978 and with the high-rated “60 Minutes” for more than four years, signed a five-year ABC contract that reportedly will pay her close to $1.5 million annually.

Sawyer, 43, remained unavailable for comment. She was said to be finishing work Thursday on a “60 Minutes” story.

Sawyer’s defection was one of the most publicized correspondent shifts in network news since Barbara Walters left NBC and the “Today” show in 1976 to join ABC. In that deal, Walters got to break into the formerly men-only club of network evening news anchors when teamed with Harry Reasoner, who had left CBS, on ABC’s weeknight newscasts.

That union, put together before Arledge took the helm at ABC News, never caught on. Reasoner returned to CBS, where he is now a “60 Minutes” regular; Walters now co-anchors ABC’s successful “20/20” newsmagazine.

The idea of Sawyer becoming a permanent evening news co-anchor on ABC “has never been a topic of discussion” during negotiations, according to a source close to the deal.

The talks finally concluded Wednesday afternoon when Sawyer respectfully rebuffed CBS’ high-level pleas to stay and signed with ABC.

On the same day, Donaldson signed his own new contract with ABC News.

The former White House correspondent said from Washington Thursday that the new prime-time program’s format hasn’t been fully hammered out.

But Donaldson said he anticipates that he and Sawyer will co-anchor it together from the same locale, whether in New York or on those occasions the program originates from other cities in the United States and overseas.

According to Arledge, the new series has a commitment of at least two years from the brass at Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., no matter what its ratings are.

CBS has not said whether Sawyer will be replaced at “60 Minutes.” There has been speculation, however, that Jane Wallace, the blunt, salty former “West 57th” correspondent, may be asked to give it a shot.

Wallace, who left CBS News last year, last Friday hosted a CBS Entertainment special, “People Magazine on TV.” Her contract with Current Trends, the company that produced it, has expired, a spokeswoman for the company said.

Wallace, who now lives in Miami, according to the spokeswoman, was not available for comment.