by Clem Boyd, Communications Content Manager
For the last three years, Cedarville University alumna Paula Faris has been holding down a spot at the Hot Topics table on the highly rated ABC daytime show “The View.” Friday, July 20, was her last day. Beginning in August, she will begin covering breaking news and podcasting on faith for ABC News.
Faris, a 1997 graduate with a degree in communications, has also served as weekend anchor for “Good Morning America” (GMA). She will be stepping away from that role as well.
“This is my choice,” Faris shared with Cedarville University public relations staff. “After a tough year, including a difficult miscarriage, it redirected my priority compass. I’m walking away from “GMA Weekend Edition” and “The View” to focus on a new role, Monday through Friday, where I’ll be covering consequential interviews, substantive stories and launching a faith podcast.”
“I really felt God calling me to redirect my priorities,” she continued. “This move will offer balance in my personal and professional life. I’m grateful for everything so far. And thrilled to finally sleep past 3 a.m. on the weekends.”
“Paula has played an important role at both shows, offering an insightful and intelligent take on the big stories of the day. She’s been instrumental to their success,” James Goldston, president of ABC News, noted in a statement to staff released by ABC public relations. “She has a keen understanding of stories that resonate with our audience, and we’re looking forward to even more great work ahead.
“She’s expanding her reporting portfolio to cover the most consequential stories of the day, help lead the charge on breaking news and focus on key bookings,” Goldston added. “She’ll continue to be an important part of the GMA family and appear across all of ABC News, and she’s gearing up for the launch of a podcast on faith to explore what unites people of all backgrounds even in these divisive times.”
Faris was featured in the winter 2016 edition of Cedarville Magazine in a story titled “Primetime,” which focused on her then new role on “The View.” She began her television career as an production assistant at WKEF/WRGT, channels 22 and 45 in Dayton, and then became an on-air reporter.
“I handed a cut resume tape to a news director who had laughed at me months before and said it would never happen, and he said, ‘I actually like this’,” she related for the Cedarville Magazine story. “He knew I was proficient in producing and editing from my experience at Cedarville, so he knew he could let me do my thing. So Dayton is where I broke into the industry as a reporter.”
Faris is married to John Krueger, a 1999 alumni, and they have three children: Caroline, 10; JJ, 8; and Landon, 4.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.