Martha Raddatz has been named co-anchor of ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”
She and ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos will continue to alternate weekends in the chair. Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl will be their primary substitute.
“When something happens in the world, Martha’s first instinct is to get there,” ABC News President James Goldston told his staff. “She is relentless and fearless in her drive to be as close to the story as possible. She’ll continue to report from the front lines to help our audience better understand the world.
Read Goldston’s entire internal memo below, where he manages to sneak in a nice ratings bright spot.
Team–
I’m pleased to announce that Martha Raddatz has been named co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Over the past several years the show has risen to great new heights with George, our chief anchor, at the helm, and with Martha playing a key role in anchoring and reporting for the program from Washington and from around the globe.
With the help of the entire This Week team, the program has become an unrivaled destination for smart, thorough and thought-provoking political and policy television. Our viewers agree — our exceptional team is ranked number 1 in the A25-54 demo at this point of the season for the first time in 22 years.
George and Martha, who will continue to anchor alternate weekends, have successfully redefined Sunday mornings, often taking the show outside the studio. Just last weekend George was on the campaign trail with Donald Trump in New Hampshire plus interviewed Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders. Martha has anchored live from around the world, bringing our viewers invaluable reporting from the front lines in Al Anbar province to the USS George H.W. Bush as fighter jets streaked off to deliver their pay loads, to the streets of Iran when the nuclear deal was announced.
Martha has proved equally fearless at taking on presidential candidates, including Senator Sanders, Dr. Ben Carson, and Donald Trump and memorably moderating several debates.
As our chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Martha has made dozens of trips to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan; she was the only television reporter to fly in a combat mission over Afghanistan in an F15 fighter jet; and she was the first television reporter allowed inside an undisclosed location in the Middle East where the U.S.-led coalition is coordinating the fight against ISIS.
When something happens in the world, Martha’s first instinct is to get there. She is relentless and fearless in her drive to be as close to the story as possible. She’ll continue to report from the front lines to help our audience better understand the world.
Our Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl will be the primary substitute for George and Martha on This Week as he helps lead the charge in our 2016 election coverage. It’s been one of the most fascinating campaigns in memory so far, and we are only just getting started. George, Martha, Jon, and Jonathan and the This Week team will play a vital role to help our viewers assess the candidates at every point between now and Election Day.
Please join me in congratulating Martha on her new role.
James