First on TVNewser: Ashleigh Banfield, who made a name for herself earlier in the decade as an anchor/war correspondent on MSNBC, will be joining ABC News, TVNewser has learned.
Banfield, who has been an anchor at CourtTV/truTV since 2005, is expected to join ABC News next year. Without confirming the move, an ABC News spokesperson tells TVNewser, “We like Ashleigh Banfield and admire her work.”
The most public job opening at the network is co-anchor of “Good Morning America.” Diane Sawyer leaves that post next month, and begins anchoring “World News” in January. Banfield is not being looked at for that post, but rather for potential news projects down the road.
“We’re always looking at ways to program news on the network and we’ve tested a number of presentations for expanded news,” the ABC spokesperson says. Those presentations included Banfield.
It’s too soon to know where that “expanded news” programming would go. Next month, ABC is moving production of daytime drama “All My Children” to Los Angeles while “One Life to Live” will take over the “Children” studio in New York in early January.
Banfield, a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Canada, is among 65 staffers being cut by Time Warner’s truTV. Her last day anchoring “In Session” trial coverage on the New York-based channel is today. The coverage will originate from CNN’s Atlanta headquarters beginning Monday.