EKU alumnus Sam Champion returning (briefly) to ABC

Sam Champion is returning to ABC’s “Good Morning America” while weathercaster Ginger Zee is on maternity leave.

AdWeek reported that Champion would do weekend weather duty while Rob Marciano moved to Monday through Friday, and Champion confirmed as much Wednesday in a Facebook Live video.

“ABC is my family,” he said. “I was there for 30 years, almost 35 years. So, you know what family does is pitch in.”

Zee is scheduled to give birth to her second son Feb. 9.

In the video, Champion said part of the reason he posted the announcement is that some people thought his spots would originate from the show’s Times Square studio, where people could get tickets and see him. Instead, he said, his weekend weather spots will originate from another studio, not accessible to the public, and he didn’t want people to make travel plans expecting to see him.

Champion, 56, was born in Paducah and graduated from Eastern Kentucky University. While at EKU, he was an intern at WKYT in Lexington. He later worked for stations in Paducah and Jacksonville.

He spent 25 years at ABC before leaving for The Weather Channel in 2013. Champion left The Weather Channel in 2016. While there, he worked for the network’s morning show and on his own show, “23.5 Degrees.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 12:28 PM with the headline "EKU alumnus Sam Champion returning (briefly) to ABC."