FORMER GMA WEATHERMAN BLASTS MORNING TALK SHOWS

Sam Champion, who spent 25 years as a morning weatherman on ABC, including stints on WABC-TV New York for 18 years and Good Morning America for 7, has sharply criticized the morning talk shows for presenting more trivia than solid information. Interviewed for HuffPost Live. "On any given day," he remarked, "if you’re watching a network morning show, I’m going to find a cast of the Housewives; I’m going to find a Dancing star; I’m going to find a musical concert; I’m going to find shopping. … That’s morning television, but it isn’t and it shouldn’t be, because that’s what not I need to get ready for my day, and I don’t think that’s what people need." Champion claimed that it is difficult to discuss consequential issues on morning TV because producers will say, ‘No, no, no, I need something that’s going to explode or flash.’ … Morning television is even getting to the point where [producers might say] ‘I need a costume-malfunction moment.’" … I think you want to be smarter when you walk out the door." Champion, who himself now hosts a morning show on The Weather Channel," also took issue with the channel’s co-founder, John Coleman, who has ridiculed climate-change warnings. "I don’t know what John Coleman’s creds are. I don’t know who he listens to. … I can only say that I don’t agree with him, and I’ve got some 200 scientists in my building who are some of the smartest minds in the world, and if they walk in the door and they show me the data … that the climate is changing, then I’m going to go with that."