Lisa Mcree Replacing Lunden As ‘Gma’ Co-Anchor

She’s in the midst of remodeling her L.A. dream house - a three-minute drive from her husband’s job but feisty Texan Lisa McRee is moving to New York, anyway.

As expected, the KABC newswoman Tuesday was named co-anchor of ABC News’ struggling “Good Morning America” as of mid-September. McRee replaces Joan Lunden, who’s leaving “GMA” after 20 years to do prime-time specials for the network. Charlie Gibson stays as co-anchor, for the time being.

McRee, 5 and 11 p.m. co-anchor at ABC-owned KABC since 1994 and a former ABC anchor, signed a five-year deal with the network. She had five years remaining on her six-year KABC contract.

The deal-maker, McRee says, was ABC’s flexibility in allowing her to spend time with her husband, Don Granger. McRee will fly back to L.A. two weekends a month; Granger will work out of New York one week every month.

“In a year, we’ll re-evaluate,” McRee says. “If we can live through a remodeling, we can live through a bicoastal marriage. We won’t be apart indefinitely. My priority is my marriage. Don and I made a deal to do whatever it takes to take care of each other.” (Ah, l’amour.)

Initially, McRee wasn’t hot for the job, she says. Granger, who helped develop such big-screen hits as Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” and Harrison Ford’s “Clear and Present Danger,” convinced her to take the plunge. “He told me it was the most fun I could have, professionally.”

Before joining KABC, McRee spent 2-1/2 years at ABC News in New York, where she and Aaron Brown launched the overnight “World News Now” in January ‘92. Later, she reported for “Day One” and anchored cable’s “Lifetime Magazine,” produced by ABC News.

Despite “GMA’s” Nielsen freefall - it has finished second to NBC’s “Today” for 80 consecutive weeks - McRee says “it’s a perfect mix of serious news and fun. A little Bosnia. A little salsa. And after doing the overnight show this will be a piece of cake.”

McRee filled in for Lunden for a week a few years ago, and did a three-month stint on “Sunday/GMA” before Willow Bay was named co-anchor in March ‘94. “I only met Joan once,” McRee says,” but I’d love to call her and ask for advice. It’s still a great show.”

Not that McRee would know. She doesn’t watch it. Or any other morning show, for that matter.

“I get home after midnight. By the time I wash my face and have a bowl of cereal, it’s really late. I don’t get up as early as I used to.”