Ever since Barbara Walters left her seat at the table on ABC's The View last spring, the show has been in a slump. The powers-that-be seemed to truly believe that if they brought in a bunch of new blood they could bring it back to being the solid morning chatfest that once dominated its time slot. Instead, their on-air talent has clashed and chaos behind the scenes has created an even bigger mess that has translated into even lower ratings. After months of clashing with Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell just announced that she will be leaving and the producers are scrambling to try and save the show. The problem is that the environment is so toxic that even Walters refuses to return.
According to a report by Radar Online, once Walters left last spring, then ABC also fired The View's executive producer and her good friend Bill Geddie. She sees that as a huge mistake and finds it ironic that the network is circling back to her for help now.
"They've talked about bringing Barbara back for a three-week special in the summer to boost ratings, but she doesn't want to touch the show. She thinks it's toxic and doesn't need the stress. She was basically told she needed to leave and the show needed a new look. So out of respect they gave her a long goodbye, but then they disrespected her when they also fired Bill out of the blue. Now they are asking her advice, so it's a slap in the face," said the source.
We have heard that ABC News is actually considering canceling The View and replacing it next fall with a fourth hour of Good Morning America. Perhaps that really is the best idea if they cannot reel Walters back in to the fold, don't you agree? GMA's ratings are golden and whatever a fourth hour would grab would have to be better than what the network is pulling in now.
