“Good Morning America” (GMA) is reportedly being forced to leave their prominent Times Square location and move downtown to New York’s Hudson Square neighborhood.
The long-running show is known for being hosted in front of a large window that looks onto an open outdoor space. Guests gather and peer in to watch the popular hosts Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos deliver the day’s news. The engaging atmosphere of the show is now being uprooted, and the network is moving to Disney’s new office tower, according to Page Six sources.
“Part of moving to this very expensive building is they want ‘GMA’ to give up the Times Square Studios lease,” a source close to the situation told Page Six.
The tourist attraction is being replaced by a location with unknown accommodations that are unlikely to offer outdoor areas or windows of any kind.
“It may be in the basement! The talent and producers are not happy about it [and] it leaves advantage to ‘Today,'” the biggest competitor of ‘Good Morning America,'” the source reportedly said.
The move is set to take place in 2025 and is designed to allow producers to work under the same roof as talent and staff, offering an optimal work experience, according to Page Six. The various divisions currently split their time between Times Square and offices located 20 blocks north, on the Upper West Side.
Andy Vermaut shares:‘Good Morning America’ To Leave Times Square Studio: Good Morning America is leaving its high-profile studio in New York’s Times Square to a new Walt Disney Co. building in Hudson Square. “Good Morning America is defined by… https://t.co/sNV6NdcYnU Thankyou. pic.twitter.com/ArR7RNlaHg
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) October 19, 2023
ABC News president Kim Godwin “tried to fight” to keep the show’s current location but was not successful, another source said, according to Page Six. Godwin is reportedly expected to make another attempt at a town hall meeting scheduled for November.
On a more positive note, there are some advantages to making the move.
“The city is the set. It’s exciting that Disney is investing in a new state-of-the-art building, which will be great for the show,” another source said, according to Page Six. (RELATED: REPORT: Tampa Bay Rays Could Be Relocating To New City Amid Potential Sale)
“‘Good Morning America’ is defined by the strength of our team in front of and behind the camera, quality of our reporting, and the long, trusted relationship with our viewers,” another ABC source told Page Six in a statement. “Moving all ABC News teams to our new state-of-the-art building was a strategic decision that will allow for more collaboration and innovation.”