Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan will quickly should greet ABC’s morning viewers from a decidedly completely different locale.
As half of a bigger transfer by Walt Disney Co., the entire firm’s New York properties are slated to maneuver in 2025 to a constructing in downtown New York in a neighborhood referred to as Hudson Square. That will embody some applications already ensconced in well-known studios, corresponding to “GMA” and “Live with Kelly and Mark.” The transfer gained’t isn’t scheduled to happen for a while, however staffers are already coming to grips with the way it would possibly have an effect on this system’s standing in TV’s continuous morning-news wars.
“‘Good Morning America’ is outlined by the energy of our crew in entrance of and behind the digicam, high quality of our reporting, and the lengthy, trusted relationship with our viewers,” ABC News stated in an announcement. “Moving all ABC News groups to our new state-of-the-art constructing was a strategic determination that may enable for extra collaboration and innovation.” The New York Post beforehand reported on “GMA’s” looming cross-town switch.
For some staffers, the transfer would possibly spur optimism. After all, Disney CEO Bob Iger has implied the corporate is all in favour of promoting ABC. But plans to maneuver “GMA” to Disney’s new environs would possibly recommend the corporate desires to maintain the present and even ABC News as a complete, even when the linear infrastructure of the community is taken over by a unique entity.
Times Square has helped increase “GMA” in its long-fought battle with NBC’s “Today” for A.M. viewers. “Today” frequently sends its anchors out to speak to passers-by at NBC’s headquarters in midtown Manhattan. “GMA” took on a few of that spirit when it took up residence in Times Square in a studio that allowed some city-dwellers to look by big street-level home windows. For a time, “GMA” even welcomed a dwell viewers into the studio through the second hour of the present, with those that lingered allowed to speak briefly with Roberts and Ginger Zee. In 2021, “CBS Mornings” took up residence in a studio throughout the street — which means that when “GMA” exits, the third-place broadcast morning present might acquire a brand new midtown profile.
“Good Morning America” has trumped “Today” in total viewers for a number of years, with the NBC program sustaining a lead within the crucial viewers demographic of individuals between the age of 25 and 54. Under government producer Simone Swink, nevertheless, “GMA” has made new inroads into the demo, which is essentially the most desired viewers by advertisers in information programming.
Just as a result of Disney is transferring downtown doesn’t imply that “GMA” will abandon the remainder of New York City. An individual accustomed to the present says producers will proceed to ship hosts out to numerous components of the Big Apple in addition to different cities across the U.S.
