Judy Woodruff Will Leave ‘PBS NewsHour’ at End of 2022

Brian Steinberg
·3 min read
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PBS is readying a new era at its venerable “NewsHour.”

The long-running news program confirmed that anchor Judy Woodruff would step away at the end of 2022, details of which previously surfaced in May. Woodruff is expected to begin work on a two-year project that seeks to understand how the American people see their country amid deep political divisions.

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“PBS NewsHour” did not specify who would replace its veteran leader, but Variety reported that plans were set last Spring for her to be succeeded by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett.

“I have loved anchoring this extraordinary program, initially with my dear friend Gwen Ifill. To follow in the footsteps of Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil has been the honor of a lifetime,” Woodruff said in a statement. “Now, I am thrilled to be embarking on this new project to try to understand the most divided time in American politics since I started reporting. I want to listen to the American people themselves, in cities, small towns and rural areas, from one end of the country to the other, to ask them about their hopes and fears, how they see their role as citizens, and to have long conversations with people who’ve given these questions careful thought.”

“Judy is an exceptional journalist, whose impartial reporting and integrity continue to set the standard for excellence,” said  Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, in a statement. “Judy is a trusted voice when trust is so very important, and we are thrilled that she will continue to serve audiences on PBS.”

Woodruff has led the news program once known as “The MacNeil/Lehrer Report” on her own since 2016, when her co-anchor, Gwen Ifill, died. Woodruff and Ifill were named the show’s official co-anchors and co-managing editors in 2013.

Woodruff, who has enjoyed a career that had her interview multiple presidents and heads of state and cover every presidential election since 1976, is 75 years old, an age when even the most popular TV personae mull a change in regular duties. Still, she is among a small handful of TV personalities and executives who continue to do their jobs with as much gusto as they did when they were younger. Andrea Mitchell, also 75, not only contributes to a variety of NBC News reports as its chief foreign affairs and Washington correspondent, but holds down a weekday hour on MSNBC. Lesley Stahl, 80, continues to hold forth at CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” And Lorne Michaels, 77, recently launched the 48th season of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Woodruff got her national news start working for NBC in 1975, and spent her early tenure there covering the southeast U.S.  She had also previously worked for local stations in Atlanta. That gave her a chance to cover Jimmy Carter’s gubernatorial campaign, and NBC assigned her to cover Carter’s run for the White House. The move started her on a trajectory of covering national politics through the Carter and Reagan presidencies.

In 1983, she moved to PBS for her first stint at “NewsHour,” where she served as chief Washington correspondent, and also led the documentary program “Frontline.” After a decade, Woodruff took a job with CNN, where she often co-anchored with Bernard Shaw. She would leave in 2005, but after teaching and pursuing some individual projects, rejoined “NewsHour” as a special correspondent. Her duties gradually increased. For some “NewsHour” viewers, the prospect of her not being on screen next year might take some time to absorb.

More to come…

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