ABC News Stages Champagne-Fueled Party for 'Good Morning America' Ratings Victory

The champagne was flowing this morning at ABC News headquarters on Columbus Ave. as more than 200 people jammed into the fifth floor newsroom to toast Good Morning America’s long-sought after ratings win over NBC’s dominant Today show.

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According to ABC News sources, GMA’s Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliot, Lara Spencer, Sam Champion, senior executive prouder Tom Cibrowski and the entire GMA team were joined by staffers from all over the news division. Diane Sawyer, Chris Cuomo and Cynthia McFadden were there, and a large contingent of ABC News Radio staffers made the trek from their offices on 66th Street and West End Ave.

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ABC News president Ben Sherwood began his toast by noting where the GMA on air team was in 1995 – the last time ABC prevailed over Today.

Elliott -- having just graduated from UC, Santa Barbara -- was backpacking around Europe and the Middle East. Champion and Spencer were both at WABC. Roberts was a host on ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. And Stephanopoulos was at the White House.

Sherwood also raised a glass to Today’s “historic” winning streak of 852 consecutive weeks. And he noted that the Today show has been the “undisputed heavyweight champion in the morning,” rhetorically asking: “What do we know about great fighters? They will get back up again.”

ABC/Donna Svennevik