ABC's 'Good Morning America' Gets An Afternoon Spinoff

Good Morning America is getting an afternoon birth this summer, a partial sign of its recent strengthening as it has battled long time NBC perennial, The Today Show.

Recently, GMA pleased the ABC network when it surpassed The Today Show in ratings for two weeks in the key 25-54 adult demographic, something it had not done in 16 years.

Replacing the canceled program, The Revolution, ABC will air an hour extension of the morning program at 2 p.m. eastern, 11 a.m. pacific time with lifestyle contributor Lara Spencer and new GMA talent, Josh Elliott. Both will co-anchor the summer run, giving them the chance to help grab a new audience for the program. Elliott joined ABC in mid-2011 after a long run at ESPN, and Spencer has been part of the team just a bit longer after transitioning to the show from her long time run on The Insider.

Good Morning America first appeared on ABC's schedule in 1975 with David Hartman and Nancy Dussault as co-hosts. Both were performers, Hartman being best known for The Bold Ones and Lucas Tanner, while Dussault went on to appear opposite Ted Knight in Too Close for Comfort. Hartman successfully led GMA to ratings victories for over a decade until he stepped down from his anchoring duties in 1987.

When this new summer run of GMA is completed, the extra hour will be replaced by Katie Couric's new talk show. However, if it proves to be a success, it could find a way back onto the schedule. Though the long running soap opera, General Hospital, has been renewed for another year, all eyes have been focused on it since it is now the only remaining daytime drama on ABC's schedule.