“Good Morning America” is about to surface again in the afternoon.
ABC said it plans to launch a third hour of the popular program, at 1 p.m. weekdays. The new hour of the show will replace the daytime cooking program “The Chew,” which will continue to run until September.
“We believe there is great opportunity for viewers and advertisers in expanding to a third hour,” said Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney|ABC Television, in a statement.
The new hour is expected to be taped, not presented live, according to a person familiar with the matter. One current scenario being sketched out for the new program would involve making use of the live, in-studio audience assembled each morning for the original program’s second hour.
”GMA” enjoyed an afternoon presence in the not-too-distant past. Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer co-anchored a short run of “Good Afternoon America” between July and September of 2012. ABC said anchors for the program and a special title would be announced in months to come.
The expansion to afternoons comes as ABC is also boosting a revamped digital presence for the show. In April, the show launched a morning newsletter and…
