Katie Couric Joins 'Good Morning America,' Heats Up Early-Morning War
Katie Couric is making her return to early-morning TV with a week-long stint on "Good Morning America." The news comes as a surprise to Couric's fans who watched her host NBC's "Today" show. Couric's return is expected to heat up the rivalry between the two shows.
She will be filling in for host Robin Roberts and joining George Stephanopoulos, Sam Champion, Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott on the "GMA" team. Spencer made the announcement this morning, telling Roberts, "You get to throw away your alarm clock for the week, and she has to dust hers off."
Couric has expressed her excitement about returning to the morning show.
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"Rise and shine! Excited to be back on morning TV next week, guesting hosting 'GMA' with G. Stephanopoulos," she tweeted.
She has not been on in the morning since 2006 but has hosted the "CBS Evening News" for the past five years. The show initially saw a bump in ratings under Couric's leadership, but it has slowly declined, and, in May 2011, Couric signed off for the last time.
Couric has remained active in the news field, serving as a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and ABC News. She currently is at work on a new daytime talk show that will premiere in September of this year. Her new show is called "Katie," and has a launch date of Sept. 6, 2012.
ABC was able to bring Couric to its company in June last year after offering her the opportunity to have her daytime show and not be tied down to any other program.
"It was a long process," Couric told the New York Times about her decision to join ABC. "I really appreciate how patient and helpful everyone was in that process."
This will mark the third time that Couric has switched networks. She got her start on NBC and remained with the network for 15 years before joining CBS. Now she is signed into a multi-year agreement with ABC, and Couric could not be happier.
"Thanks for all the kind words about my guest gig on 'GMA!' I'll be keeping Robin's seat warm next week-Can't wait, George!" she tweeted today.
