Sam Champion Preps New Weather Channel Show

Sam Champion, the out former Good Morning America weather anchor, has left the Big Apple for Atlanta, bringing some northern snowstorms down south with him. Champion, who said a tearful goodbye to GMA in December, is now the managing editor of Weather Channel and is prepping for a new show on the network, America's Morning Headquarters With Sam Champion, set to launch March 17.

The three-hour broadcast, which will air weekdays beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern, aims to provide viewers with a fresh spin "on what it takes to get America up and moving in the morning," Champion tells the Associated Press. The time slot positions the new show opposite morning fare at ABC, CBS, and NBC, as well as various cable outlets. Champion's show plans to offer viewers news, sports, and pop culture information, approaching these topics through the lens of weather.

Champion says the show will create an immersive graphic experience, displaying conditions and forecasts "almost like 3-D, putting the viewer in the middle of this information. I think it's something you haven't seen before." He adds, "What you need from TV is a very thorough understanding of what's going on in your environment."

Champion will be joined on the show by Weather Channel meteorologists Mike Bettes and Maria LaRosa.

As the broadcast progresses through the morning, each hour will target a different time zone, moving east to west, with its final hour to focus on West Coast viewers. "By then, we'll have gotten the East Coast and Middle America out the door," Champion says.

"No matter what's going on" in the world, Champion continues, "it all starts with the weather. Weather information is what colors all of your planning, all of your decision-making, for the day to come."