Lehrer, who has anchored “NewsHour” for 36 years, announced 5/12 he’s stepping down from the daily broadcast, ending the longest run of a national anchorman. He’ll anchor his last “NewsHour” on 6/6, after roughly 8,000 broadcasts and even more interviews. The program, produced by DC/Arlington, VA-based WETA-TV, is now simply ”PBS NewsHour.” It used to be dubbed “NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.” That was changed 18 months ago at his behest, to rebrand the program for the post-Lehrer era.
“I have been laboring in the glories of daily journalism for 52 years – 36 of them here at the NewsHour and its earlier incarnations – and there comes a time to step aside from the daily process, and that time has arrived,” Lehrer said in a press statement. Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff, Jeffrey Brown, Ray Suarez, and Margaret Warner will continue to be rotating hosts after Lehrer’s departure.
“We’ve got a great team in place,” he told the Washington Post. “I’m proud of this — I’m on one of the most graceful glide paths to departure that anyone could have set up.”
Lehrer, 76, still writes his copy and acts as executive editor of the program, overseeing its daily lineup of stories and talking head interviews.
