Good Morning America bosses are reportedly in crisis talks over the plummeting ratings for the show. They're placing the blame on absent stars.
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According to Status, executive producer Simone Swink is worried about the show in comparison to its rival the Today Show. Swink says that Good Morning America is underperforming comparatively. As such, Swink is waving the verbal alarm bell and warning its employees that they must be present.
Staff is required to be in the office for four full days each week. She has also targeted TV personalities George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, and Michael Strahan. All three have large amounts of days off in their contracts.
Each gets a staggering 100 days off a year, according to their contracts. They also earn up to $18 million a year. Good Morning America bosses see that as a problem. They say that viewers value seeing the same regular faces and having more consistency.
'Good Morning America' In Crisis
For instance, Roberts missed time to celebrate her birthday. Additionally, many at the network believe that the botched scandal around Amy Robach and TJ Holmes has created a talent crisis for the show.
ABC News' new president Almin Karamehmedovic is reportedly displeased with the current iteration of the show. He said that Good Morning America just isn't very compelling as it is, so there will likely be some changes.
The exec has mostly left the show alone until now. But ratings have begun to slump. So GMA is in his crosshairs. However, insiders believe that Swink can pull them out of the slump they're in.
Fortunately for Swink, insiders are confident she's the one to pull them out of their ratings slump.
"Simone is beloved. She is one of the hardest-working people in television and saved ['GMA'] from hemorrhaging more viewers. There is no one who knows morning television better than her," an insider said.
Elsewhere, CNN is also reportedly considering layoffs amid slumping ratings.
"There are a lot of other media and platforms or TV channels. So the situation is easier for the big stars compared to the other journalists and the production workers," an 18-year veteran of CNN told The U.S. Sun. "I have been feeling frustration and tensions in the star hosts, like Anderson Cooper, Jack Tapper, and Erin Burnett, for example. And some of them have been fed up with the situation for a bit now."
The journalist also added, "From the journalists and the production workers, everyone is scared. And trying to see what could happen next, to anticipate the inevitable. It's a sinking ship. And we know many of us will be out of here in the next few weeks or months."
