‘I’m going to miss you’: 6ABC’s Jim Gardner delivers final ‘Action News’ broadcast

It’s the end of an era in Philadelphia, as longtime 6ABC anchor Jim Gardner said goodbye to the Delaware Valley one final time.

Gardner anchored his final Action News broadcast for 6ABC on Wednesday night, escorted into work by members of the Radnor Police Department. The 74-year-old TV icon is retiring after more than 46 years on the air in Philadelphia, the face of the news for well over a generation of viewers.

“What I need you to know is how much I’m going to miss you,” Gardner told viewers in his final broadcast, touching on his love of Philadelphia, his respect for viewers, and his fears about increasing attacks on journalists and news organizations.

“The American free press has been under attack, not by forces from other countries, but from elements embedded in our own society, and even our own government. It worries me deeply,” Gardner said. “We are not the enemy of the people. Serving the people, you the people of the tri-state area, with responsible and unbiased journalism. This is our mission now and in the future. And if we falter, you damn well better let us know, for your benefit and for ours.”

Then, as he’s done so many times during his four-plus decades in Philadelphia, he offered an understated signoff that’s as much a trademark of his time at 6ABC as the station’s iconic theme song: “For the entire Action News team, I’m Jim Gardner. Goodnight.”

» READ MORE: Jim Gardner’s final broadcast: Watch his last message to ‘Action News’ viewers

Replacing Gardner at 6 p.m. will be Brian Taff, who will also continue to anchor the 4 p.m. edition of Action News. The station hasn’t announced who is taking over for Taff at noon. Gardner gave up the 11 p.m. newscast last year, which has been anchored by Rick Williams.

Gardner, whose real name is Jim Goldman, considered winding down his career several times in recent years. He ended up signing two additional extensions with the station because he said the news was so interesting to cover, whether it was the coronavirus pandemic or the four-year tenure of former President Donald Trump.

The longtime broadcaster isn’t sure what’s next, other than spending more time with his wife, Amy. He doesn’t even know if he’ll keep his iconic mustache.

“Maybe Jim Gardner is going away, and I’m going to reclaim Jim Goldman,” Gardner told The Inquirer recently. “It’s interesting to sort of think about that. Jim Goldman will probably shave off the mustache, right?”

Leading up to his retirement, Gardner was honored on Capitol Hill and during the network’s coverage of Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day parade. There’s also now a Jim Gardner Way — the 4100 block of Monument Road, where the Action News Studio is located, was renamed in honor of the longtime anchor.

“I’ve had five or six addresses since I’ve been in Philadelphia, but Monument Road at City Avenue has been the one constant. It’s always meant coming to work every day, joining my colleagues to do the best job we can for the people of the tri-state area. That is what Monument Road means to me,” Gardner said.

Prior to his final broadcast Wednesday, Gardner took a minute to join tailgaters led by Wilmington resident Chris Miko in the parking lot of Target on City Avenue across from 6ABC’s studios.

“You guys are crazy,” Gardner told fans braving the cold to celebrate his final broadcast.

6ABC will also air an hour-long prime-time special honoring Gardner and his storied career. The special airs at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Gardner tops a long list of longtime Philadelphia media figures retiring this year, which includes WHYY’s Marty Moss-Coane, NBC10 meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz, and longtime 94.1 WIP morning show host Angelo Cataldi, who will turn off his microphone once the Eagles’ season is over.