Whoopi, falling ratings, 'Live' — how did ABC get into its morning mess?

ABC is waking up to a morning mess.

"Good Morning America," its flagship a.m. show, has lost its ratings momentum against NBC's mighty "Today." Kelly Ripa was a no-show for a week on "Live with Kelly and Michael" after bosses maneuvered behind her back to bring cohost Michael Strahan to "GMA." Once Strahan leaves "Live" later this month, Ripa will face a parade of guest hosts. And "The View" may lose two panelists, with Whoopi Goldberg and Raven-Symone both at risk of exit this year.

How did ABC's house get so upside-down? Blame a combination of aging hosts (Goldberg is 60), network missteps (the Ripa drama could easily have been avoided) and relentless broadcast pressure (morning shows are one of few remaining TV programs that viewers watch live).

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Here's what to look for next:

Bad timing for backstage melodrama

There's never a good time for messy personnel problems, at least from the perspective of network brass. But this year is an especially rotten moment. The tumultuous presidential campaign starring Donald Trump has created a nonstop flood of headlines, which ABC needs to capitalize on every morning. That's hard to do when no one is sure exactly who will be sitting in the host chairs in coming weeks.

Watch for George Stephanopoulos

The mystery person in all this in Stephanopoulous, the former Clinton White House whiz kid who's now 55 and the cohost of "GMA." Stephanopoulos is the chief anchor of ABC News, even though David Muir is the face of the nightly newscast. ABC is getting its money's worth: Stephanopoulos also hosts "This Week," the Sunday current-affairs gathering, in addition to his "GMA" platform and occasionally filling in for Muir.

Also Read: Whoopi Goldberg to Donald Trump: 'I Ain't Going Nowhere, This Is My Country' (Video)

But Stephanopoulos is stretched pretty thin, and the loss of focus can get him into trouble. Last year, it was revealed that he had made undisclosed donations to the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit group founded by his former boss. The donations were not explicitly political and Stephanopoulos apologized. But the donations still made him an easy target for Republicans who claimed bias. The resulting blowback sidelined ABC's chief anchor from moderating presidential debates in February, which could have been a major platform for him and the news operation.

Stephanopoulos, who has cohosted "GMA" since 2009, was never the most natural fit for a bubbly morning show. While he's done a fine job with it, observers might watch closely to see if ABC takes this opportunity to make a switch.

Whatever ABC does, don't look for a quick or easy fix.

"The View" is a program with a long history of tumultuous backstage drama, which the network has sometimes been able to exploit for ratings gain. But there are signs that viewers are tiring of the formula of warring cohosts and tabloid-ready jabs. Rosie O'Donnell's return was heavily promoted but failed to make much of a dent in the ratings.

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Nor will Strahan instantly cure ABC's morning miasma. Ratings for morning shows – like the numbers for late-night talk shows – move at a glacial pace. These programs are designed to be habit-forming. Viewers tend to find a host or hosting team they feel comfortable with and then stick with that choice for months or even years.