Josh Elliott leaving 'Good Morning America' for NBC Sports: sources
It looks like Monday will be anything but a 'Good Morning America' at the top-rated ABC morning show.
Josh Elliott, long considered a key part of the team of talent that in 2012 derailed the 'Today' show's epic 16-year streak as the most watched morning program last year, is joining NBC Sports.
At NBC, Elliott is expected to cover the most high-profile sports properties the network carries, including the NFL, the Olympics and the Triple Crown.
Elliott, a favorite of ABC News chief Ben Sherwood - who in 2011 had plucked the newsman from ABC-owned ESPN - had been embroiled in a white-knuckled contract negotiation with the network for weeks.
It is understood that he had been asking to be paid $10 million a year. ABC had counter-offered with $5 million annually to stay on the morning show, a source close to the situation said, adding that ABC News brass had believed their offer was a 'generous increase' over his current $1 million salary. Until Sunday, it had been widely believed that Elliott had demanded $8 million and ABC had countered with $4 million.
Amy Robach - who recently recovered from breast cancer and a double mastectomy - will become the new news reader and co-host on 'GMA,' effective immediately.
'We always knew that Amy was special and we have all been especially inspired to watch her battle breast cancer with grace and determination,' Sherwood told staffers in a rare Sunday night memo. 'Indeed, she thrilled us with two weeks of memorable dispatches from Sochi anchoring our Olympic coverage - all between chemo treatments. Amy will be a fierce and formidable full-time addition to our GMA team.'
In the memo, Sherwood also acknowledged Elliott's departure.
'Josh Elliott let us know today that he is going to NBC Sports. As many of you know, we have been negotiating with Josh these past several months. In good faith, we worked hard to close a significant gap between our generous offer and his expectations. In the end, Josh felt he deserved a different deal and so he chose a new path.
We worked hard to close a significant gap between our generous offer and his expectations.
I want to thank Josh for his many contributions to GMA and ABC News. Later in the week, we will bid him farewell. With Robin, George, Lara, Ginger and Amy, GMA's best days are ahead.'
It was not immediately clear what the terms of Elliott's new NBC Sports deal are, or if Elliott would appear on 'GMA' for the remainder of his ABC deal - which ends in less than a month. In the past, 'GMA' has feted departing talent on the air with a cake and a celebration, although Sunday night's fast-moving developments left little room for such details and decisions, a source said.
Elliott's departure comes just days after his co-host, Lara Spencer, signed a multi-year deal with 'GMA' worth an estimated $2 million a year. Longtime 'GMA' weatherman Sam Champion quit the show last winter for a job at The Weather Channel.
An NBC Sports rep declined to comment, but an announcement is expected later this week.
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