Television journalist George Stephanopoulos attends the "Change Begins Within: An Historic Night of Jazz to benefit The David Lynch Foundation" event in New York December 13, 2012. (Reuters)
“Good Morning America” co-anchor George Stephanopoulos is frustrated with “GMA” staff changes as he begins to negotiate his contract with ABC, sources tell The New York Post's Page Six.
Multiple sources told the gossip site George, the last man standing at the morning show after Sam Champion and Josh Elliott departed in recent weeks, is concerned about the softer direction of “GMA” — and the addition of yet more entertainment personalities.
Stephanopoulos, who also anchors ABC’s Sunday news show “This Week,” is in early contract negotiations with the network. The newsman reportedly earns around $8 million a year, just over half of the $14 million “GMA” co-anchor Robin Roberts is said to have received when she re-upped her contract in December. Elliott jumped ship to NBC a week ago after he reportedly demanded $10 million from ABC and didn’t get it.
News reporters including Cynthia McFadden and Bill Weir have all followed Champion and Elliot out of ABC recently.
Insiders told The Post Stephanopoulos has already made clear that he wants to do more serious news programming and take over for Diane Sawyer on “World News” when she eventually steps down. While David Muir is still seen as the heir apparent to “World News,” another TV insider said, following Elliott’s recent ugly departure, “They can’t afford to lose George. He’s going to get a serious pay increase. He could easily up his salary to $12 million a year or more.”
But Stephanopoulos told Page Six last night, “So much of what you’ve been told is false. What I can say is that I’m proud of our continued success at ‘GMA,’ ‘This Week’ and ABC News, and I’m confident that will continue.”
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