ABC morning show loses producer at crucial time

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – The executive producer of
“Good Morning America” will leave the No. 2 breakfastcast at
the end of September, adding another wrinkle to the world of
the network morning shows.

“GMA” executive producer Ben Sherwood told ABC News
president David Westin on Thursday that he wanted to leave the
show for family reasons.

The past two months have seen “Today” co-host Katie Couric
announcing her departure for the CBS evening news (her last day
was May 31), the hiring of Meredith Vieira as her replacement
and, last week, the impending departure of “Good Morning
America” co-host Charles Gibson.

Since taking over in April 2004, Sherwood and “GMA” have
mounted a strong challenge to the dominance of “Today” — one
week last spring getting to within 40,000 viewers of the show
– but “Today” has pulled ahead by far within the past year.

Sherwood’s departure comes at a tumultuous time for “GMA.”
While missing the opportunity last year to beat “Today,”
Couric’s departure from “Today” last week offered another
chance during the summer before Vieira begins on the NBC
morning show in September.

“GMA” also is trying to fill the co-anchor job that Gibson
will leave this month to take up his “World News Tonight”
duties full time. Co-anchors Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts
remain on the show, though there isn’t a permanent weatherman:
Features correspondent Mike Barz has been filling in since Tony
Perkins left for Washington in December. Substitutes in line
for Gibson’s job include ABC News correspondents Bill Weir
(co-host of “Weekend GMA”) and Chris Cuomo along with WABC-TV
anchor Bill Ritter.

Sherwood, a Harvard-educated, best-selling author, will
return to his hometown of Los Angeles, leaving behind what
sources described as a seven-figure contract; it’s purely his
decision and not dictated by ratings or anything else. ABC and
Disney indicated that it would try to find a position on the
West Coast for Sherwood and that he would be welcome back at
ABC News at any time.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter