samuel james "sam" champion (born august 13, 1961) is the weather anchor of abc's "good morning america" and weather editor of abc news. champion was born in paducah, kentucky. he has a b.a. in broadcast journalism from eastern kentucky university. he worked on "good morning america" as a weatherman, making reportedly $1.5 million per year. on april 7, 2012, he debuted as host of "sea rescue", an educational and informational television program that focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of animals back into the wild.