Ratings: Stephanopoulos 'GMA' Debut Not a Big Deal For Viewers

'This Week' turned 'GMA' anchor draws 4.8 million viewers on first day

By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/15/2009 5:59:36 PM

The anchor transition at Good Morning America was marked by little fanfare on the broadcast. But if a quiet transition was by design, it also inspired little curiosity from viewers.

Diane Sawyer's last day on GMA Dec. 11 was watched by 4.8 million viewers, with 2 million in news' target demographic of 25-54-year-olds. NBC's Today was watched by 5.3 million, with 2.5 million in the demo, according to Nielsen.

For the week of Dec. 7, Today averaged 5.6 million viewers (2.6 million in the demo) compared to GMA's 4.5 million (1.9 million in the demo).

Katie Couric's last day on Today in May 2006 was watched by more than 8 million people, the fourth-highest audience for a single Today telecast since the advent of People Meters in 1987.

George Stephanopoulos' first day on GMA received positive reviews from TV critics. But the new team, which also includes Juju Chang as newsreader, did not translate into a big ratings bump. On Dec. 14, GMA was watched by 4.6 million viewers (2.1 million in the demo), while Today averaged 5.9 million viewers (2.8 million in the demo).

Nearly 7 million tuned in to see Meredith Vieira on her first Today broadcast in September 2006.

Jeffrey Schneider, senior VP at ABC News, said the news division is not "concerned with hype."

"We are extremely pleased with the content of our first two [GMA] broadcasts and obvious ease with which Robin, George, Sam and Juju have undertaken this exciting challenge," he added.