6ABC's Jim Gardner is Set to Anchor His Final 11pm Action News

There is no question about the big story on Action News tonight. Longtime 6ABC/WPVI-TV veteran Jim Gardner will deliver his final newscast as the anchor of the 11 pm Action News tonight.

Gardner announced in November that he is dialing back his schedule with Action News and plans to retire at the end of 2022 after more than four decades in broadcasting.

Gardner informed his colleagues of his decision to reduce his schedule by continuing to anchor the 6 p.m. newscast, with Ducis Rodgers and Meteorologist Cecily Tynan, but said he would no longer be anchoring the 11 p.m. newscast. That final broadcast is tonight.

WPVI will announce his replacement in the coming months.

"It's hard to imagine that I have had the opportunity to spend a professional lifetime with colleagues so committed, resourceful and wonderful. They have taught me so much about television journalism and about myself. I am profoundly grateful," said Gardner.

"I have spent most of my adult life at Action News, and many of our viewers have grown up and experienced life along with me and the on-air team I've worked side-by-side with. I've been blessed to raise a family here and to be a member of this community over the past 45 years. I feel I have a special relationship with our viewers and the communities we serve, and I plan to continue to enjoy every minute with them over the next year."

Gardner, 73, has held the long-tenured position of anchor of Action News at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. since 1977, after joining WPVI as a reporter and anchor during the Noon newscast in 1976.

He began his television broadcast career at WKBW-TV in Buffalo before joining WPVI, where he has remained for more than four decades.