Good Morning America

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Veteran journalists Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, who have hosted the show since the late 1990s.
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Veteran journalists Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, who have hosted the show since the late 1990s.

Good Morning America (also popularly known as GMA), launched in 1975, is the weekday morning news talk show of the American Broadcasting Company, or ABC television network. Featuring news, weather and special interest stories, it is recorded live from its Times Square studios in New York City and fed to all network affiliates. The program is currently hosted by Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer, and Robin Roberts. Tony Perkins is the show's weatherman.

Since 2004, ABC has also aired Good Morning America Weekend Edition.

Contents

Early years

In January 1975, ABC launched A.M. America in an attempt to compete with the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC television network, production of The Today Show hosted by Jim Hartz and Barbara Walters. The show was hosted by Bill Beutel, and Stephanie Edwards and Peter Jennings read the news. The show could not find an audience against The Today Show, so ABC started to look for a new approach. While looking around, they found that one of their affiliates, WEWS in Cleveland, was not broadcasting A.M. America but instead was airing a locally produced show called The Morning Exchange. Unlike A.M. America and The Today Show, The Morning Exchange took less of a straightfoward news approach by offering news and weather updates only at the top and bottom of every hour and used the rest of the time discussing general-interest/entertainment topics. The Morning Exchange also established a group of regular guests who were experts in certain fields such as health, entertainment, consumer affairs, travel, etc. Also unlike both the NBC and ABC shows, The Morning Exchange was not broadcast from a newsroom set but instead one that resembled a suburban living room. The show's creators, Donald L. Perris and William F. Baker, felt the living-room set would make viewers feel more comfortable. The result of all of this was ratings of nearly 70% for The Morning Exchange. ABC took an episode of The Morning Exchange and used it as a pilot. After rave reviews for the pilot, the format replaced A.M. America in November 1975 as Good Morning America. Good Morning America's first host was David Hartman, featuring Nancy Dussault as his co-host. Dussault was replaced in 1977 by Sandy Hill.

The Today Show shakeup

Good Morning America ratings climbed slowly but steadily throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s while The Today Show experienced a slight slump in viewership, especially with Walters' decision to leave NBC for a job at ABC. On August 29, 1976, Tom Brokaw began anchoring The Today Show while a search was made for a female co-host. Within a year, The Today Show managed to beat back the Good Morning America ratings threat with Brokaw and new co-host Jane Pauley, featuring Gene Shalit.

ABC ratings rise

Good Morning America continued to threaten The Today Show, especially after the abrupt removal of Brokaw from his anchor desk in 1981. For the first time, Good Morning America became the highest rated morning news program in the United States as The Today Show fell to second place.

Lunden and Gibson

In 1980, Hill left Good Morning America and was replaced by Joan Lunden. Hartman and Lunden led the show through several seasons of success. The partnership ended in February of 1987 as Hartman retired.

Lunden was paired with Charles Gibson and ratings skyrocketed for Good Morning America. They became the most popular news partnership on television in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gibson and Lunden prevailed over The Today Show.

CBS threat

In the 1970s and 1980s, the CBS television network, aired only hard news stories during the morning time slot shared by Good Morning America and The Today Show. But CBS decided it wanted to get aggressive in the morning news talk show ratings battle, and it launched CBS Morning, using the same format used on Good Morning America and The Today Show. It was hosted by Charles Kuralt and Diane Sawyer. In 1983, CBS Morning beat The Today Show and took the second place spot after Good Morning America.

Still wanting to knock Good Morning America from its stronghold over viewers, CBS scrapped CBS Morning and launched The Morning Program on January 12, 1987. It was hosted by Mariette Hartley, Rolland Smith, Mark McEwen and special features by comedian Bob Saget. The show failed miserably against Good Morning America and was cancelled only after ten months on the air. CBS replaced the show with CBS This Morning in November of 1987, hosted by Kathleen Sullivan and Harry Smith with Greg Gumbel featuring sports. Again, CBS failed miserably against Good Morning America. Since 1999, CBS's morning news program has been known as "The Early Show"

NBC comeback

Good Morning America sailed into the 1990s with its overwhelming ratings success. Lunden and Gibson were a hard couple to beat. But Good Morning America would stumble from its top spot in 1997. Lunden decided to step down after 17 years on the show, and was replaced by Lisa McRee. The show was almost killed when Gibson, too, left the show to make way for Kevin Newman in 1998.

With McRee and Newman at the helms of Good Morning America, long time viewers switched to The Today Show. By this time, The Today Show was hosted by Matt Lauer and Katie Couric. News and weather were anchored by Ann Curry and Al Roker. The Today Show ratings skyrocketed and remained at the top spot into the mid 2000s.

Gibson and Sawyer

In 1999, ABC became desperate to revive Good Morning America which viewers disfavored. It negotiated Gibson's return, teaming him up with Diane Sawyer. The team was meant to be temporary until ABC could find permanent replacements. However, Good Morning America ratings once again increased and battled The Today Show for viewership, though it has not yet proclaimed a victory in weekly viewership over The Today Show. ABC stuck with the Gibson and Sawyer team where they remain today as anchors of Good Morning America. Until March 18, 2002, the news was anchored by Antonio Mora. When he left to anchor WBBM-TV in Chicago, Robin Roberts replaced Mora.

Gibson, Sawyer, and Roberts

In May 2005, ABC announced former ESPN anchor Robin Roberts, the show's news anchor would be promoted to co-anchor. She had been regularly filling in for Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson. In her new role, she now helps take stress off Charlie Gibson, who, along with Elizabeth Vargas, is anchoring World News Tonight since anchor Peter Jennings passed away from lung cancer on August 7, 2005.

As of 2005, Good Morning America has still not prevailed over The Today Show, though it has had a few one-show victories on the day after Pope John Paul II's funeral, and then a Mariah Carey concert shortly after in 2005. Good Morning America has won in timeslots in large markets like New York, which may give an indication that people may begin to choose them over The Today Show.

Birthday

On November 3, 2005, G.M.A. celebrated its 30th birthday with recaps to 1975 and by decorating Times Square.  Former co-hosts David Hartman and Joan Lunden, along with former meterologist Spencer Christian were among the guests of honor.  Hartman signed off the show that day with his trademark close "From all of us, make a it a good day."

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