[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

If say Craig Doyle carried on reserve presenting and then ended up full time next year, that would get much less scrutiny than if they announced he was Phil’s replacement with immediate effect.

Phil presented the show for 20 years. Even if they wait a year there is still going to be a considerable amount of scrutiny given the length, and popularity, of his tenure and the way it went down in flames. Maybe even more so. Doing a yearlong public audition for his successor, leaving everyone wondering who they're going to settle on, comes with the risk of his shadow hanging over the show even heavier than it would have done if they'd bit the bullet and quietly tried to rebuild as quickly as possible. If they're going to have 5 people blatantly auditioning to be the new Philp for a year, they might as well stick an elephant in the studio as well. IMO anyway. Obviously i know nothing, It’ll be interesting to look back on in a years time .