I smell another skunk for ABC in its attempt to come up with cheap, unscripted programming for its daypart. Only this time, ABC Daytime can breathe a sigh of relief. The latest stinker, Good Afternoon America, didn't come from their ranks. This slung together mess is the handiwork of ABC News! READ MORE

The peeps over at Soaps In Depth are drawing a line in the daytime viewing sand when it comes to ABC's "limited run" talk show Good Afternoon America. The publication's passionate executive editor Richard M. Simms has gone on record about the spin off of Good Morning America and why he feels it is a direct threat to ABC's sole soap opera General Hospital. Said Simms:

"If fans want to keep GENERAL HOSPITAL on the air, they need to make sure a clear message is sent to ABC," says Soaps In Depth executive editor Richard M. Simms. "Although GAA is being talked-up as a limited-run series to bridge the gap between THE REVOLUTION's demise and the premiere of Katie Couric's new program, ABC has proven that they'll happily pull the plug on a soap if they can replace it with something that's cheaper to produce." READ MORE

ABC’s trial run of Good Afternoon America is set to debut on July 9, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Reportedly, Josh Elliot and Lara Spencer will anchor the afternoon hour of Good Morning America, filling the slot currently occupied by the axed The Revolution. 

"It's tremendous that GMA has this opportunity to extend its reach, and bring something new to the afternoons,” said Elliott, who joined the ABC program as news anchor in May 2011 after several years on ESPN's SportsCenter. “It is gratifying to play a role in it and genuinely hope our audience will come along for the ride."

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Forget about who's judging what singing competition; the morning show wars are shaping up to be network TV's bloodiest battles since Letterman vs. Leno vs. Conan! ABC's Good Morning America beat NBC's Today in the Nielsens for a second time the week ending April 27, that's twice in the past three weeks! READ MORE

Former All My Children star turned talk show host Kelly Ripa is among the daytime celebrities included in The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Most Powerful People in Media.  In THR’s profile, Ripa discusses the ongoing search to replace Regis Philbin as her co-host.

But even amid talk of firming up the chair, Ripa says there’s “no urgency” to finding a permanent replacement and notes the show’s steady performance since Philbin’s exit. (It recently matched its February 2011 sweep rating of a 2.7 in households and is now the top syndicated talker among the coveted women 25-to-54 demo.) READ MORE

Not even the perkiness of Katie Couric could help ABC's Good Morning America topple NBC's juggernaut Today in the Nielsens. While GMA, did manage to beat Today last Wednesday in total viewers, Couric's former morning chat hub still bested GMA in demos. For the week, Today averaged 5.1 million to GMA's 4.9 million. READ MORE