Handsome New Co-Host Needed

Male cohost sought for ‘Good Morning’


NEW YORK - Since the news broke last month that Diane Sawyer will be leaving ABC’s “Good Morning America’’ to replace Charles Gibson on the network’s evening news broadcast, female broadcasters such as Ashleigh Banfield and Suze Orman have eagerly volunteered to replace her.

But ABC executives are intent on finding a male anchor to pair with cohost Robin Roberts and restore the morning show’s traditional male-female duo, according to multiple sources in and outside the network.

While the network has cast a wide net in its search for Sawyer’s successor, it appears increasingly likely that the “GMA’’ cohost will be selected from within ABC’s ranks, in part because contenders such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper are locked in to long-term contracts. A short list of candidates is widely believed to include “This Week’’ host George Stephanopoulos, “World News Saturday’’ anchor (and former Channel 5 reporter) David Muir, “GMA Weekend’’ cohost Bill Weir, and “GMA’’ news anchor Chris Cuomo.

The lack of a ready successor mystifies many ABC staffers who expressed bewilderment that executives did not have a plan in place for their most profitable program. But ABC’s challenge in replacing Sawyer underscores how few superstars remain in an industry once dominated by high-wattage anchors tussling for coveted slots.

ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider declined to comment on the search, noting that news division president David Westin said he would make a decision by the end of the year.

“The names that are out there frankly are nothing more than speculation,’’ he said. “We haven’t made any decisions. This is a deliberate process. And while it may be hard for some people to understand that deliberate process, it is a process that has served us well in the past and we think will serve us well now.’’

Gibson’s decision to retire triggered a scramble at “GMA,’’ where top producers learned that Sawyer would succeed him just a day before the news went public, according to their colleagues.

Many staffers wonder why ABC hadn’t already identified her successor. Sawyer’s commitment to “GMA’’ has technically been short-term since she and Gibson joined the show in 1999 at the request of Westin, who asked them to temporarily help stabilize the program.

Schneider rejected the idea that ABC was unprepared for the change, saying the network is always working to develop a new generation of stars.

“Look, some networks obsessively work these things over years in advance and frankly, you end up with a Conan and Jay outcome,’’ he said, referring to how NBC pushed Jay Leno to hand over “The Tonight Show’’ to Conan O’Brien, a move that has yet to pay off in the ratings.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.



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