Art Moore, Live! With Kelly and Mark Exec, retires after 53 years at ABC

It was a bittersweet morning on Live with Kelly and Mark.

Art Moore, WABC's vice president of programming and head of production for the morning show, is retiring after 36 years. Live and 53 at the network. Hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos presented Moore with his flowers during the broadcast on Friday morning – and the audience did the same, giving him a rousing round of applause and a standing ovation.

That's what he'll miss most on Monday. Before his final show, he told Deadline: “The hardest part for me [is] let people down.”

“I don't think I can watch the show for the first few weeks because I'll go crazy,” he said. “I need to get away from being there every day.”

Moore first joined the ABC family in 1966, working for WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York, which was then part of the Capital Cities/ABC group. From there, he worked as executive producer and director of WVI-TV's popular morning show, AME/Philadelphiabefore moving to WPVI-TV in Philadelphia and finally joining WABC-TV as program director.

He began working on Live! in the second season, when it was still The morning showand has observed its development over more than three decades.

Since then, he has been a popular and important part of the network.

“I met Art on my first day at WABC NY 25 years ago. In all my roles at the company, he was my constant go-to guy – a mentor, a colleague and a true friend. To say we will miss him would be an understatement,” Debra OConnell, president of News Group & Networks at Disney Entertainment, said in a statement to Deadline. “His impact on television is immeasurable and we will cherish him for years to come, but it's his light, warmth, laughter and of course his impeccable style that we will miss every day in the office. He is one of a kind.”

During his tenure, Moore also left a lasting mark on Live Audiences will surely miss his appearances on the show, especially the Halloween episodes, which he says he appeared in “wisely or wrongly” many years ago.

As he prepared for his final day, Moore reminisced about decades of fond memories, including the fan-favorite Halloween episode in which he dressed up as Wonder Woman. He said it went wrong when he spun around on a platform for a little too long at the beginning of the segment, causing him to trip as he entered the stage.

Moore says these moments when things don't go exactly according to plan are the heart of the show and the reason audiences have stuck with it for so long. Laughing through these moments rather than giving in to the fear they might provoke is something he learned from the late Regis Philbin.

“If there was a mistake, he would make a little play out of that mistake and make it seem like it was meant to be. I mean, he was a master at it. I always said he could make changing a lightbulb interesting,” Moore said. “That's what endears the talent to the audience because they see those mistakes and they're a part of them. So they feel like they're in the middle of it, which they don't get on other shows.”

When asked what he wants his legacy to be at the station, Moore said he hopes it will be based on “patience and listening.”

“I think sometimes when you have a successful show, you think, 'Okay, it's going to be successful, and we really don't need to change anything.' But that's not the case. You have to change, but you have to do it carefully,” he said. “So you have to listen to what people are thinking overall. You have to get a feel for the entertainment business as it is today, and then build that into the context of the show to make it fresh, but still keep the fundamentals.”

Even though he is stepping down, Moore believes that the most exciting chapter for Live is still to come as Ripa and Consuelos continue their second year as co-hosts.

He says it has been a joy to watch the couple blossom since Consuelo joined full-time – a joy he will miss each morning.

“I can't tell you how many people say to me, 'So who writes your material?' I said, 'Nobody writes anything!'” he laughed.

Saying goodbye to Moore, Ripa and Consuelos said: “We are all excited about Art's well-deserved retirement and know he will have time to enjoy this new chapter. However, it cannot be overstated how much his absence will leave a tremendous void, not only in the studio but in our hearts. He is a stabilizing presence, a creative force, a tireless advocate and a fearless leader. No one has ever worked harder. No one will be missed more.”