The Weather Channel’s Sam Champion tells the New York Post he was unhappy with coverage of his move off the network’s morning show AMHQ. “I started reading that I was kicked off the show and that really upset me,” Champion said.
“I left GMA to become the managing editor of the Weather Channel. I wasn’t building a morning show for me. I had to create a destination in the morning for weather fanatics–and it took a couple of years to get the right team in place.”
Champion announced in 2013 he would leave Good Morning America, ending 25 years at ABC. Last September, the Weather Channel announced layoffs and programming changes–including Champion’s move to prime time.
Next month, Champion expects to launch his new show, 23.5 Degrees with Sam Champion. The name is a nod to science nerds, he says. “People who love the climate, love the environment and love space understand that the earth is on an actual tilt [23.5 degrees], which is the key ingredient to making us a hospitable planet.”
The show will feature long interviews with weather and science experts, and be produced in Atlanta and New York.