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Josh Elliott Talks Decision to Leave ‘GMA’ for NBC, New ‘Dateline’ Disaster Series ‘Escape’

“I loved my time at ABC News. It was life-changing for me,” journalist tells TheWrap. “But for me, [joining NBC Sports] was just a personal choice”

Travis Reilly | March 1, 2015 @ 2:11 PM Last Updated: March 1, 2015 @ 6:10 PM
Josh Elliott on Dateline's "Escape: The Wreck of the Costa Concordia"

NBC

When Josh Elliott left ABC’s “Good Morning America” nearly a year ago for a post at NBC Sports, the world was stunned. One of broadcast journalism’s rising stars had left a top-rated morning news show for an undefined role at a different network, where he would have to ride the bench for six months because of a non-compete clause in his previous contract.

“I loved my time at ABC News. It was life-changing for me. I had the opportunity to tell so many different sorts of stories and be involved in so many different projects,” he told TheWrap. “But for me [joining NBC Sports] was just a personal choice … it felt like the next step on my path.”

See Photos: 24 TV Newscasters Ranked by Popularity

After Elliott’s non-compete clause expired, he became a correspondent on “Football Night in America” and occasionally filled in on “Today” alongside Matt Lauer.

“This has been a very rewarding year and a great reminder that you never know what’s around the next bend,” Elliott said.

But on Sunday, he’s stepping away from the field to host “Escape,” a three-part “Dateline” miniseries about survival and recovery.

“One of the great things about this job – really something that made the job supremely attractive was that I had a calendar that would allow for these periods where I could just dive into storytelling that wasn’t necessarily sports specific,” he explained. “This was a perfect opportunity to do just that.”

See Video: Former ‘GMA’ Host Josh Elliott Fills in on ‘Today’ Show

The first episode of “Escape” focuses on the harrowing 2012 shipwreck of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, which killed 32. Sunday’s episode features first-person accounts of six brave survivors who managed to stay alive amid the chaos and danger.

Interviewing disaster victims might not seem like the purview of a NBC Sports employee, but Elliott thinks a great story transcends classification.

“As a journalist I have never seen a real dividing line between this idea of news and sports,” he said. “Human interest stories are sort of all the same, whether told through the prism of a sport or, in this case, a maritime disaster. In the end, this is a job I love about telling people’s stories.”

Also Read: Former ‘GMA’ Anchor Josh Elliott to Appear on ‘Today’ in NBC Sports’ NFL Segments

In the coming weeks, “Escape” will interview survivors from the Cedar Fire that ravaged San Diego County in 2003 and the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

“They’re three great episodes of television and nobody will be sorry they tuned in,” he said.

See a trailer for Sunday’s episode of “Dateline: Escape” here.

“Dateline: Escape” premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on NBC.

24 TV Newscasters Ranked by Popularity (Photos)

  • Scott Pelley
    Scott Pelley, "CBS Evening News" Q Score: 19
  • Anderson Cooper, "AC 360" Q Score: 18
  • Lara Logan, "60 Minutes" Q Score: 17
  • Brian Williams, "NBC Nightly News" Q Score: 15
  • Chris Cuomo
    Chris Cuomo, "New Day" Q Score: 15
  • Kate Bolduan
    Kate Bolduan, "New Day" Q Score: 15
  • Diane Sawyer
    Diane Sawyer, "World News" Q Score: 13
  • Ann Curry
    Ann Curry Q Score: 13
  • Morley Safer
    Morley Safer, "60 Minutes" Q Score: 13
  • Rachel Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show" Q Score: 13
  • Tamron Hall
    Tamron Hall, "News Nation" Q Score: 13
  • Christiane Amanpour, "Amanpour" Q Score: 12
  • Thomas Roberts, "MSNBC Live" Q Score: 12
  • Michaela Pereira
    Michaela Pereira, "New Day" Q Score: 12
  • Bill O'Reilly Bashes CNN Malaysia Flight Coverage
    Bill O'Reilly, "The O'Reilly Factor" Q Score: 10
  • PIERS MORGAN
    Piers Morgan, "Piers Morgan Live" Q Score: 10
  • Nancy Grace, "Nancy Grace" Q Score: 10
  • Sean Hannity
    Sean Hannity, "Hannity" Q Score: 10
  • Shephard Smith, "Shephard Smith Reporting" Q Score: 10
  • Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Sanjay Gupta MD" Q Score: 9
  • Leslie Stahl
    Leslie Stahl, "60 Minutes" Q Score: 9
  • Andrea Mitchell
    Andrea Mitchell, "Andrea Mitchell Reports" Q Score: 9
  • Alex Wagner, "Now" Q Score: 8
  • Chris Matthews
    Chris Matthews, "Hardball" Q Score: 6
1 of 24

Anderson Cooper, Lara Logan and Brian Williams are up there — but who ranks No. 1?

Scott Pelley, "CBS Evening News" Q Score: 19
View In Gallery

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