Jim Gardner Anchored His Final 11 pm Broadcast, “Wishes to See the Pandemic Retire Before He Does”

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Jim Gardner, a longtime 6ABC anchor and familiar face in Philadelphia local news for 44 years, will retire at the end of 2022, writes Rob Tornoe for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gardner will still be anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast alongside Ducis Rodgers and Cecily Tynan until his retirement kicks in.

“I look forward, for instance, to being able to watch a Sixers game on television with my wife, or, my goodness – to even go to a game on a weeknight,” said Gardner. “It is a lifestyle I haven’t experienced in 45 years, and it’s time.”

Gardner had considered retiring several times before but decided against it because the news was so interesting to cover, whether it was the COVID-19 pandemic or former President Donald Trump’s tenure.

“The whole Trump phenomenon was an extraordinary political story,” Gardner said. “I’m kind of a politics nerd, and it was something I wanted to have within the boundaries of my broadcast career.”

This time, though, there was no changing his mind.

“It’s time,” he said. And he says “he wishes to see the pandemic retire before he does.”

Read more about Jim Gardner and his 45 years with the 11:00 pm broadcast in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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