NBC 5’s Warner Saunders has confirmed to the Trib’s Phil Rosenthal that he will be transitioning out of the station between now and June 1 of next year.

Saunders, who has been with WMAQ-TV since 1980, will give up the 5pm and 6pm anchoring duties by the end of this year. He will remain alongside Allison Rossati on the 10pm newcast until June 1.

The prevailing sentiment remains that Bob Sirott will take over Saunders anchoring duties as they are relinquished.

While Saunders has had a long and distinguished run on Ch. 5, in recent years, it’s become clear that the 73-year-old no longer has the command of the anchor desk that he once did. His presence has become increasingly diminished as he appears to often struggle with the delivery of his copy, and in ad lib segments, he seems almost lost. He should be commended for perservering for so many years, but it may have been nobler to have stepped down a few years ago, perhaps once Sirott became the heir apparent.

Sirott brings a long Chicago media legacy to the lead anchor chair, including stints at WLS-AM, WMAQ-TV, WFLD-TV, and WTTW-TV. In addition to his role at WMAQ-TV, Sirott currently hosts “The Noon Show” on WGN-AM. It’s not clear if he will continue in that role after his promotion at Ch. 5.