Faithful viewers of Philadelphia’s ABC Action 6 News gathered Wednesday evening to say good-bye to long-time anchor Jim Gardner.
A cheering crowd of fans sent off Gardner with a tailgate party outside the studio for his final broadcast with the network after 46 years. The legendary anchor greeted his well-wishers with warm handshakes, despite the cold temperature outside.
How else does PHILLY say goodbye to our @Jim_Gardner ?
A tailgate across the street of course !!! pic.twitter.com/jQkCEB1gAm— Annie McCormick (@6abcAnnie) December 21, 2022
Gardner’s retirement was a “day of celebration mixed with sadness” as the newscaster delivered one final story for the network telling viewers, “What I need you to know is how much I’m going to miss you.”
“We are all members of the same community and we all have the same very high stakes in its well being and in return for all of this you gave us just one thing, your trust. Well, maintaining that trust became the most important motivator for me, coming to work everyday and doing the absolute best job that we could – that I could,” Gardener stated in his final broadcast. (RELATED: Popular Daytime Talk Show Host Maury Povich Retiring After 31 Years)
Gardner announced his plans to retire last year, giving the ABC team ample time to prepare a good send-off for the beloved anchor. They did so with a police escort and helicopter as Gardener made his way into the station Wednesday morning and his fans, with a tailgate that evening, the station reported in their broadcast.
“If it was your intention to let me think that you valued my time here and that I was a decent guy, you succeeded, Gardener told his colleagues. “Thank you so very much, really,” he stated.
Gardner may no longer be anchoring for the network, but ABC 6 reported he will be hosting a podcast in the future.