‘GMA’: Hanna Battah Named New Co-Anchor of ‘First Look’ & ‘World News Now’

ABC News has tapped award-winning journalist Hanna Battah to co-anchor World News Now and Good Morning America First Look alongside ABC7 general assignment reporter Sophie Flay.

As announced by the network on Monday (December 1), Battah joins ABC News after over 12 years as an anchor and reporter at various local stations across the United States. Most recently, she served as anchor of KDFW-TV’s top-rated afternoon and early-evening newscasts in Dallas, where she was also co-anchor of The Ten.

Battah worked for more than seven years in Dallas, covering several major stories, including the 2024 presidential election results and the recent central Texas flood disaster.

“IT’S OFFICIAL,” Battah wrote on Instagram following the ABC News announcement. “Thank you to the incredibly talented @heidi_gutman for updating my headshots and to @brookslancaster for putting together this announcement about my exciting next chapter.”

 

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In her new role at ABC News, Battah will cover all the latest headlines and breaking news in the overnight hours, leading directly into ABC Owned Television Stations’ and affiliates’ local morning programming.

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A graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Battah began her career in radio at Missouri Digital News. She went on to serve as an anchor and multimedia journalist at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri, and later, an afternoon anchor and evening reporter for KBAK-TV/KBFX-TV in Bakersfield, California.

Over her career, she has covered state legislatures in the Midwest, been up close with firefighters battling devastating West Coast wildfires, and reported on volatile tensions along the U.S. southern border.

She received a Lone Star Emmy nomination in 2018 for her team’s coverage of a pickup truck that intentionally crashed into the television station during its morning newscast.

World News Now and Good Morning American First Look is executive produced by Ken Kneeland. Simone Swink serves as senior executive producer on both programs, as well as the flagship Good Morning America and GMA3.