‘Good Morning America' leaving Times Square studio after 25-plus years

Yahoo

a day ago

NEW YORK — Viewers of 'Good Morning America: GMA' will be waking up to something new as early as next week, with the long-running morning show starting to wrap up its 25-year-plus run in Times Square on Monday.
While the co-anchors kicked off their final week in the studio by reflecting on their first days on set, the decision to move from the 'crossroads of the world' was first announced in October 2023 as part of ABC News' 'strategic' plans to centralize the operation.
'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,' a spokesperson said at the time, Deadline reported. '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.'
The talk show is moving to the new Walt Disney Company's 22-story New York City headquarters, located at 7 Hudson Square — also known as the Robert A. Iger Building — in lower Manhattan near the West Side Highway.
Co-anchor Michael Strahan revealed live on Monday that 'GMA' will begin broadcasting from the new space during the week of June 16.
The former NFL star and bestselling author reflected how 'overwhelming' it was when he first began inhabiting the Times Square studios when he joined the team full-time in 2016.
'The bright lights, the personality, the energy, how intimidated I was when I walked through the door. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind,' he said.
Robin Roberts, who's been a 'GMA' anchor since 2005, also shared that 'I remember thinking, I'm a little girl from Mississippi and I'm working at Times Square,' recalling spending her first day in the new digs in 1999 interviewing tennis star Serena Williams after she won her first U.S. Open and Grand Slam title.
'Our studio is brand-spanking-new, and she comes in, and she talks with us,' she recalled. 'She had a little dog. I think her dog's name was Jackie. Jackie's all up in my face. But I just remember the energy and just looking around, going, 'This is our home?' All these years later, it still feels that way.'
Before moving to Times Square, across the street from MTV studios, 'Good Morning America' was broadcast from the ABC News headquarters in Lincoln Square on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Despite the move, the show will go on for GMA's summer concert series. New Kids on the Block will kick off the star-studded line-up playing the final show in Times Square. After a few concerts in different cities, Colombian singer Manuel Turizo will become the first artist to perform at the new studio on Aug. 1.
Punk-rock band Good Charlotte, trailblazing Latin pop singer Gloria Estefan, country music crooner Dierks Bentley and R&B artist Teyana Taylor are also scheduled for the new digs.