Q: Why did ABC hire Michael Strahan for the “Good Morning America” team? He adds nothing to it. They have him next to Robin Roberts instead of Amy Robach, who we see less and less. Are they pushing her out?
—Emily Smith, Decatur
A: "Good Morning America" has undergone personnel and format changes over the past month in an attempt to boost declining ratings.
The show’s overall viewership was down 9 percent for the year through Aug. 26, Variety reported earlier this month, and off 19 percent in the 25-54 age group.
Strahan joined “Good Morning America” on Sept. 6. Robach also remains part of the team.
“We are always looking to make the show more informative, more interesting, more entertaining to our viewers,” Michael Corn, the show’s senior executive producer, told Variety.
Q: I have been wondering why both NPR stations in Atlanta have been playing almost the same format for the past few months. Is the programming that similar, and if so, how do we decide which one to support in their annual fall fund drives? I am a dedicated NPR listener and supporter, but it is getting confusing.
—Connie Kone, Marietta
A: WABE (90.1 FM) and GPB Atlanta (88.5 FM) don't share content, but both use NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."
Each station also has its own local programming and on-air personalities.
WABE was established in 1948 and GPB began in 2014 on Georgia State University’s WRAS-FM.
Listener support is essential to both stations.
You can read more about WABE at wabe.org and GPB Atlanta at gpb.org.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; AJC staff writer Rodney Ho contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
