mountainave

The most interesting nugget from this article is not that AFG is joining The View, but that Ana Navarro wanted the full-time spot and didn't get it. It'd been widely thought that she was only interested in the part time hosting gig. The show's staff has previously said they were looking for someone who would refute the election lies but who was not a "Never Trumper." Griffin checks both boxes, whereas Navarro has been widely critical of both Trump and the GOP since Trump's candidacy and lacks favorability among conservative viewers. https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-view-alyssa-farah-new-host-1235319329/

Sam's already working only 4 days a week, and it would not surprise me if he intended to renegotiate for either more vacation time, fewer workdays, or more favorable hours (i.e., coming on later in the morning or leaving before the noon show). More generally, he's a flight risk given that he really doesn't need the job. Similarly, though Lee will be around for a while, one can reason he'll at some point negotiate for fewer shows or more vacation time. So, even if there is no impending talent departure, whether it's for bench-building or just vacation coverage, an extra hire is a good thing to do given the status of the rest of the team.

Just noticed a posting for a weather anchor on WABC's jobs page. Not sure if it's a stale listing or an active one.

This was my thought as well. I'd expect her to show up as an anchor or anchor/reporter in a slightly downmarket DMA.

He's done this on and off during the pandemic. It's a nice touch, especially on Fridays, and he has a beautiful backyard from which to do it. I do wonder what the contingency plan is if there are signal or connectivity issues. Not sure if there is another meteorologist in the newsroom on those days, or if they would have Lee call in via phone and talk over the maps, or if they'd just put up the 7 day forecast and have the anchors read it.

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/good-morning-america-tv-ratings-news-today-1235283664/ GMA winning in the 25-54 demo, attributed in part to getting anchors out of the studio and to locations of major stories.

One of whom is Kim Dillon, longtime producer at the station who was recently promoted to AND.

Was a new WABC President/GM ever named after Chad Matthews was promoted to lead ABC O&Os earlier this year? Haven't seen any announcements.

Kristin Thorne is moving over to the investigations unit.

He's a strong reporter, in the mold of Burkett and Dolan.

She was always a strong fill-in for WABC and knows the city well. Seems like a no-brainer for the station.

He left at the end of 2013 https://deadline.com/2013/12/sam-champion-leaves-good-morning-america-for-weather-channel-ginger-zee-to-replace-him-645620/

Sure, that sounds better, but those are two different asks. If people DVR the broadcast it contributes to the program's ratings.

Alternatively, GMA's gradual phasing-out of Times Square backdrops and outdoor segments may be a subtle effort to wean the audience off of that element of the show. It may be an indication that Disney plans to relocate GMA to Hudson Square and sell the Times Square Studio once ABC News moves to its new headquarters.

Not a new development, but Sam’s obviously been given quite a bit of latitude in the on-air dress code.

Congratulations to him. He’s had a meteoric rise in leadership at the station, going from VP/ND after Camille Edwards left to Pres/GM and now this, in just a matter of years. He’s clearly a strong leader who is well liked.

Recall that Khemlani's charge was to cut costs across the division. It would not surprise me if this were a sly but effective tactic by CBS in Norah's contract renegotiation to suggest to her that she is dispensable, in an effort to counter her request for more money.

Chantee Lans has joined WABC, with recent stops as an anchor and investigative reporter in Shreveport, and a general assignment reporter at CBS Philly. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6KFvSLU54/

Still not sure what that art project behind them is supposed to be. But I agree -- they did a nice job bring this into the HQ space.

Unlikely for Shep to take that slot. Most people at that stage of their career don't want to be working until midnight. Though on a smaller network, he's got a nice early primetime slot. I'm sure it wasn't Brian Williams' first choice to anchor an 11 p.m. show either, but that was the opportunity he was given to rehabilitate his career.

The primetime hour does better (i.e., attracts more viewers) with an opinionated host than a facts-only host. Wallace is the latter. That's the long-game every media entity launching a streaming service is playing. In the short term it may be an additional source of revenue (or medium term, as in the short term they may incur a loss). But in the long term, they're betting cable will become obsolete, and people will pick and choose which streaming services to subscribe to for their primary content consumption. Those with well-established streaming platforms when that time comes will be better positioned than those racing to catch up.

Here's something to ponder: If Chris Cuomo had been promoted from newsreader to co-anchor of GMA when Diane Sawyer took over WNT (and he was passed over in favor of George), then all three of the major networks would have ultimately lost their morning show male co-anchors to sexual harassment complaints.

They tried that with Katie Couric. Didn't work.

Perhaps local offshoots of ABC News Live, similar to the local versions of CBSN.

Michael Strahan is going to space: https://abc7ny.com/michael-strahan-good-morning-america-blue-origin-jeff-bezos/11264450/