How a local Cleveland morning show inspired the birth of Good Morning America
In short: ABC launched Good Morning America in 1975 to challenge NBC's Today. But the network's original attempt, AM America, failed to find an audience. To save their morning slot, executives looked to a local Cleveland program called The Morning Exchange, which traded stiff newsroom formality for a relaxed, living-room atmosphere.
Before Good Morning America debuted on November 3, 1975, ABC struggled to compete with the dominance of NBC's Today. The network's initial effort, AM America, featured a traditional news-heavy format that failed to resonate with viewers. In contrast, The Morning Exchange, a local show on Cleveland's WEWS, offered an easygoing, conversational style. It featured regular experts in fields like travel and consumer affairs, and its set was designed to resemble a suburban living room rather than a sterile news studio.
ABC executives adopted this informal approach, even piloting the new format using an episode of the Cleveland program. The show's title, Good Morning America, was inspired by the lyrics of Steve Goodman's song 'City of New Orleans.' The program's early years were marked by intense competition; it famously overtook Today in the ratings during the 1980s under the leadership of David Hartman and Joan Lunden. This success was not permanent, however, as the show fell to second place in 1995, beginning a 16-year streak for Today.
The program's fortunes shifted again in 1999 when executive producer Shelley Ross brought in Diane Sawyer to pair with Charles Gibson. This move, combined with a relocation to Times Square Studios, revitalized the show. By April 2012, with Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos at the helm, Good Morning America finally reclaimed the top spot, ending Today's 852-week winning streak. The show has remained the most-watched morning program in total viewers and key demographics every year since the summer of 2012.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Good Morning America
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