ABC News has named Hanna Battah overnight co-anchor of World News Now and Good Morning America First Look alongside Sophie Flay.
Most recently, Battah was anchor of KDFW-TV’s top-rated afternoon and early-evening newscasts in Dallas, where she was also co-anchor of The Ten, a largely unscripted program featuring wide-ranging live interviews. In her more than seven years in Dallas, she also frequently anchored major and breaking news events, including the 2024 presidential election results and the recent central Texas flood disaster.
In her new role at ABC News, she will serve as co-anchor in the overnight hours, leading directly into ABC Owned Television Stations’ and affiliates’ local morning programming. Ken Kneeland serves as executive producer of World News Now and Good Morning America First Look, and Simone Swink serves as senior executive producer of both overnight programs, as well as the flagship Good Morning America and GMA3.
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Battah has covered stories ranging from state legislatures in the Midwest, to the devastating West Coast wildfires, and as well as tensions along the U.S. southern border. In 2018, she received a Lone Star Emmy nomination for her team’s breaking news coverage of a pickup truck that intentionally crashed into the television station during its morning newscast, and the ensuing bomb squad investigation that unfolded live on the air.
Prior to joining KDFW-TV, Battah spent two years as an afternoon anchor and evening reporter for KBAK-TV/KBFX-TV in Bakersfield, CA. Before that, she served as an anchor and multimedia journalist at KOMU-TV in Columbia, MO.
A graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Battah began her career in radio at Missouri Digital News, covering the state legislature in Jefferson City.