HLN Blows Up Format…AGAIN! Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

HLN blew up it’s dayside lineup and format yet again and that got me off my ass and on to the keyboard.

I’ve lost count how many times HLN has blown up its format since it stopped using CNN Headline News’ half hour wheel format in the mid 2000s. It’s surely blown it up at least four times in the last 10 years. News…then opinion mixed with news…then more tape than news…then a horrid social media tie in attempt…then back to live news which was supposed to cover more flyover territory stories. And during it all a revolving door of shows and talent paraded on and off HLN’s airwaves.

The most recent news revamp just launched barely 2 years ago when CNN started sending talent over in the forms of Ashleigh Banfield, Michaela Pereira, and (last year) Carol Costello.

When Costello’s move was announced I said it was a risk.

HLN Officially Announces Costello/Cupp Launch Date…

HLN announced that Carol Costello and S.E. Cupp’s shows will launch on August 21. Given that this was an official press release, we can be certain that the shows will indeed launch on that date. The prior dates (April, early July) were never officially announced.

HLN BOLSTERS LIVE NEWS PROGRAMMING LINEUP WITH PREMIERES OF CAROL COSTELLO AND S.E. CUPP ON AUGUST 21

‘Across America with Carol Costello’ (11am ET) and ‘S.E. Cupp Unfiltered’ (7pm ET) Join the Network

HLN adds two dynamic personalities to its live programming lineup it was announced today by Ken Jautz, EVP, CNN. Launching Monday, August 21, Carol Costello brings her journalistic prowess to “Across America with Carol Costello” (Monday – Friday, 11a – 1p ET) and S.E. Cupp delivers her candid point-of-view nightly on “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” (Monday – Thursday, 7p – 8p ET).

“Adding Carol and S.E. to HLN further strengthens our powerful bench of journalists and hosts, and delivers on the network’s promise to add more live hours of news programming,” said Jautz. “Carol and S.E. are two of the most respected and recognized voices in the business, and we’re excited to bring their smarts and passion to the HLN audience.”

Andy Levy To Join S.E. Cupp’s Show…

TVNewser’s Chris Ariens writes that former Red Eye Ombudsman Andy Levy is joining S.E. Cupp’s HLN show when it launches.
“When” being the operative word here…

It’s been many months in the making but it now looks like two new HLN shows, one hosted by S.E. Cupp and another hosted by former CNN anchor Carol Costello will launch next month, on the same day. HLN doesn’t yet have an exact launch date.

But an HLN spokesperson confirmed that Andy Levy, formerly of Fox News Channel’s Red Eye, is joining Cupp’s show as a senior producer and panelist.

Levy should make for an interesting panelist on Cupp’s show. But if I was holding my breath waiting for Costello and Cupp’s shows to launch since their announcement…I’d be long dead and buried by now.

Yeah…I’m being more cynical and sarcastic than usual. But CNN deserves it. It set up these shows long ago and then…and then…we waited as blown launch date after blown launch date passed by. I’m now thinking this was a money thing…that CNN didn’t give HLN the budget to launch these shows when they were supposed to launch.

If that’s the case it really tells you all you need to know about how CNN corporate views HLN.

Not very highly.

What a soap opera this has become.

What Is Going On Over At HLN?

These are confusing times over at HLN. The network is showing signs of internal dissaray…or at the very least teetering on the edge of limbo.

How else to explain what’s happened since the network announced the arrival of Carol Costello and S.E. Cupp’s shows almost six months ago with deadlines that have since been blown and blown badly.

Cupp’s show was set to debut in June. It still hasn’t.

Costello’s show has fared even worse. First it missed a planned April launch. Then it missed an early June launch. Yesterday, TVNewser reported that it may launch in late August.

“May launch”.

Something very odd is going on over at HLN and it’s not set issues and probably not staffing issues…not after six months it shouldn’t be.

No…this is something…else.

So let’s speculate about what the “else” could be? We appear to have nothing but time to kill waiting for these shows to launch…

1) Budget realignment – The money isn’t there, for whatever reason (resource realignment, shifting priorities, etc…) and until it is Costello and Cupp’s shows are stuck in limbo, unable to launch.

2) Collateral damage from the AT&T/TW merger – The theory here is that the merger still being finalized (and not yet approved by the governmenet) has frozen HLN’s plans for the moment. I’ll admit that this theory is rather thin. I mean…HLN is still considered CNN’s bastard stepchild these days but it’s not that far gone that a merger should freeze new program launches. Unless…

3) Another network makeover is coming – I know, I know…that would be like what…the fourth or fifth makeover in the last 10 years? It would seem highly unlikely…and yet that could explain why neither show has launched if the new format would be incompatible with both shows. But this theory is undercut by the fact that we just got a new launch timeframe and the network has to be cognizant by now that each new launch timeframe that comes (and goes) makes the network look more and more feckless.

I’m thinking it’s some combination of 1 and 2. I think HLN is waiting…what for I’m not sure…but maybe its waiting for the merger to go through…

…and whether AT&T will be forced by the Trump administration to sell off CNN to have the merger approved. That is something I could easily see forcing HLN into “wait and see” mode.

How Not To Launch a New Show

Remeber back five months ago (!!!) when Carol Costello left CNN for HLN?

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

And we still don’t know when Costello’s show will debut on HLN.

First, HLN said it would launch in April, a launch date the network blew.

Then HLN told TVNewser that the show would debut in early June, a launch date the network also blew.

That’s right. HLN gave two launch dates for Costello’s show and blew both of them.

What a horrible, horrible look for the network. Giving out two launch dates and not being able to make either of them, without providing any reason or explanation for the slippage, makes HLN look like the gang that can’t shoot straight.

Costello must be beside herself. She took a big risk jumping from the safety of CNN to its much less secure for everyone not named Robin Meade’s sister network and so far all that’s happened is two failed launch dates.

Put it in these terms; within a few more days enough time will have elapsed between Costello’s CNN departure and now that it will have surpassed the amount of time from Megyn Kelly’s FNC departure to her Sunday show’s premiere on NBC a few weeks ago.

That’s terrible.

Yes, I’ve been on a bit of tear over this. But I wasn’t the one who publicly put out two launch dates and then failed to stick to either. I’m just going by what I see and what I see is a network that has entered rarefied territory. You could probably count on one hand in the history of television the number of news shows that blew one launch date. Never mind two launch dates.

And we still have no idea when Costello’s show will finally see air.

HLN To Change Logo, Tagline…

Well April came and went and, as I predicted, Carol Costello’s HLN show did not launch. But it may launch as soon as next Monday. Why? Because according to AdAge’s Jeanine Poggi that’s when HLN is going to unveil a new logo and tagline…

Over the past year HLN has been “returning to our news roots and emphasizing that the network is part of the CNN family,” Jautz said.

It is focusing on buzzy regional news stories, crime stories, entertainment and weather, according to Jautz, and leaving international affairs and in-depth political news to its Turner Broadcasting sibling CNN.

And on May 8, it will solidify that focus with the new tagline, “News that hits home,” and a logo that more overtly positions HLN as part of the CNN news family.

It would seem to me that the day you start a new branding campaign would be the day to have all your new shows in place so that’s why I think Costello’s show may launch Monday.

If it doesn’t launch Monday, HLN will have big time egg on its face.

Will HLN Blow Its Launch Date For Carol Costello’s New Show?

Almost two months ago HLN announced that it was going to launch “Across America with Carol Costello” by the end of April.

Ok…it wasn’t really an announcement as in a public press release…it was an internal email from Ken Jautz that was leaked.

Still, HLN did nothing to shoot that date down once it was leaked.

Well guess what? It’s the end of April.

You know…the end of April when the show was supposed to launch? That end of Arpil?

Basically HLN has two days to announce the start date is Monday. Otherwise the show will not launch this month and HLN will have blown its leaked launch date. Since a Monday launch would mean a rough launch window with scant to no promotion time, my money is on it not launching this month.

Usually when this type of thing happens…and it doesn’t happen very often where a network leaks a launch date for a show that it winds up blowing…it’s because of things like the production staff isn’t all in place yet. We know it’s probably not a set problem because Newscast Studio just did a story on the debut of a revamped L.A. studio that CNNI is using which will also be used for Costello’s show.

S.E. Cupp Gets HLN Show…and Other HLN News…

A bunch of HLN stuff to get to today…some of it a week old because I was out of town last week and then sick as a dog.

For starters CNN US Executive Vice President Ken Jautz announced that S.E. Cupp will be slotted in at 7pm ET for a new show…

I’m pleased to announce that S.E. Cupp is bringing her distinct outlook and passionate opinion to HLN as host of her own 7 pm nightly program. This is the next step in our campaign to bolster our primetime line-up. You can expect to see S.E. lend her energy and insights to conversations with provocative guests from the diverse worlds of radio, politics, comedy and journalism as she tackles the day’s most important stories. Live from CNN’s New York bureau, this soon-to-be-named show will launch in early June. S.E. will also continue her role as a CNN Political Commentator and CNN.com contributor.

Please join me in welcoming S.E. to the HLN team.

In more primetime news, we’re also announcing HLN’s 2017 Original Series slate today.

This follows up the news last week that Carol Costello’s new two hour HLN program will debut sometime in April at the 11am-1pm slot. That was Michaela Pereira‘s slot. Pereira is moving into the 3pm-5pm slot.

Here’s the release on HLN’s original series that Jautz referenced above…

Carol Costello Interview…

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Rodney Ho interviews Carol Costello about her upcoming HLN show and other things…

For now, she said she has to focus on hiring a staff of writers and producers and do it quickly. She said the Los Angeles bureau is growing. Her former CNN colleague Michaela Pereira is already out there, airing a show that airs daily from 11 to 1 p.m. EST.

When I mentioned how HLN seemed to change strategy multiple times in recent years including an ill-fated effort to focus on Millennials, she admitted it was painful to watch at times. But she feels they have the right people in place and are “serious about winning. I do a very successful show now. I would not have gone to another network even in the family if I didn’t want to win.”

She notes that HLN – in a way that touches upon its Headline News roots – “whips through stuff. We won’t waste your time, at least on my show. We won’t carry hearings. We’ll monitor them.”

She hopes to have more “real” voices, fewer analysts and commentators.

I like where Costello’s head is…less analysts and commentators. Not so sure how well that will go down in New York though…since it will (accurately) be interpreted as a criticism of the way CNN, and by extension Jeff Zucker, does things.

Carol Costello Moves From CNN to HLN…

Ever since I discovered last year that Carol Costello’s husband had to move to the west coast for work, I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop and today it dropped. Costello announced on the air that she would be leaving CNN U.S. for a anchor role for a HLN show originating out of L.A.

“I have lived apart from my husband for many years,” Costello said at the end of her show today, “but he was always close by because he also lived on the east coast. But last year my husband snagged a fantastic job in Los Angeles, and I kind of miss him,” she said.”

Say no more. But there is a price to pay…

Costello goes from a network with incredible stability to one which has now eclipsed MSNBC circa 1998-2003 as the network with most glaring reboots since it blew up the CNN Headline News format. The only person there who is golden is Robin Meade. Everyone else isn’t safe…and you can add Costello to that list.

Jeff Zucker issued a statement on this news and said a few nice things about the 15 year veteran…

As many of you may have just heard, Carol Costello announced that her last day on Newsroom will be this Friday. While we’ll miss her unmistakable reporting, calming presence on the air, big smile and even bigger laugh on CNN, I’m happy to say she isn’t going far — she’ll be staying in the family and joining HLN in Los Angeles.

During her more than 15 years with us, Carol has been at the forefront of some of the world’s most significant news stories, including the Boston bombing, Pope Francis’ historic visit and our coverage of the Iraq war. She is all heart and grace, and the epitome of a seasoned journalist, making her the perfect fit to join HLN’s powerful bench of anchors.

Carol’s decision to leave CNN was a personal one. After many years balancing a long-distance marriage with her demanding career, she is cashing in her miles and permanently relocating to the west coast. Ken Jautz will be sharing more details about her new LA-based show in the coming weeks.

It’s with infinite gratitude that I thank Carol for being a friend to me, and an influential voice that has helped grow CNN and contribute to our success.

Please join Ken and me in congratulating Carol on this great new role.

Costello’s departure leaves a hole for which there is no clear unambiguous front runner to take over. I could think of half a dozen people who could get it…and still miss the actual choice. It’s pretty wide open.

Pilot time for S.E. Cupp?

It appears HLN did a pilot for a show with SE Cupp. Or at least that’s the inference that can be drawn from this video open which someone stupidly posted on Vimeo. Say goodbye to your job fool if CNN ever successfully traces it.

CNN does a lot of pilots a year and almost all of them never make it to air…at least not in their pilot form. So that’s not useful info that HLN shot a pilot. But who gets to do a pilot is very useful information because it means it’s someone CNN wants to give a push to.

So it would be reasonable to assume CNN wants to leverage Cupp…at least on HLN.

Update: Predictably, the video has been yanked…

Finally…

The Hollywood Reporter’s Seth Abramovitch writes that Nancy Grace is leaving HLN.

Nancy Grace, who parlayed her stint as a successful prosecutor into a two-decade career as one of cable’s most recognizable and controversial figures, will depart HLN, her TV home for the past 12 years, when her current contract expires in October.

Grace, 56, broke the news ‪Thursday morning to her staff of 18 — some of whom have been working with her since the late 1990s, when she got her start co-hosting on Court TV with the late Johnnie Cochran — at the network’s CNN Center headquarters in Atlanta, where Grace shoots the majority of her shows. New York-based staffers learned of her departure simultaneously via video conference call.

I can’t possibly understate how much I have waited for the opportunity to do a blog post on this subject. HLN is a wasteland now – completely unrecognizable from when Grace started – but that show has been a blight on cable news for wayyyy too long. Good riddance.

Note to Abramovitch:

Grace first informed CNN executive vp Ken Jautz, the same man who lured her to the fledgling network, then called CNN Headline News, back in 2005, of her decision in early June.

“Fledgling network”? In 2005? Headline News had been on the air for 23 years by 2005! Fledgling network my ass…

Erica Hill Back To HLN…

TVNewser’s Chris Ariens writes that Erica Hill is leaving NBC for HLN/CNN…

“I’m thrilled to come home,” said Hill. “The opportunity to reunite with Ken and the smart, talented HLN/CNN family was one I couldn’t refuse. I am so excited to be a part of this new chapter at HLN.”

“Erica was a catalyst during our evolution from Headline News to HLN, and now, as we return to our news roots, she’s the obvious addition to our first-class on-air team,” added Ken Jautz, evp, CNN.

Hill will anchor her show from New York, beginning in the fall. This means HLN’s dayside shows will be anchored from Atlanta (Robin Meade), Los Angeles (Michaela Pereira) and New York (Hill).

It might be mildly surprising that Hill is coming back to HLN/CNN. What shouldn’t be any surprise is that Hill was leaving NBC; not after essentially being demoted off Weekend Today.

Albie Hecht Out at HLN…

TVNewser’s Mark Joyella writes about HLN toppo Albie Hecht leaving the network…

Under Hecht, HLN underwent massive programming changes and was rebranded as “the first social TV network.” The HLN that emerged was criticized by some as lacking focus, with much of its lineup dominated by reruns of Forensic Files–hardly cutting edge social television.

Zucker said in 2016, HLN would focus on “driving..programming during the daytime and overnight hours closer to CNN’s, and by utilizing a much stronger library of content that has been built in the last three years.”

CNN doc re-runs on HLN? Is that what Zucker is saying? What other “library of content” is there?

In the interim, HLN will be led by Ken Jautz, who previously led the network before taking his current role as executive vice president of CNN/US

Bye-bye social TV experiment…

Susan Hendricks Out At HLN…

TVNewser’s Mark Joyella reports that Susan Hendricks has left HLN. And that network’s old guard from the CNN Headline News days is now down to around four…

An HLN spokesperson says Hendricks opted not to renew her contract. Hendricks had been anchoring “HLN Now” and appearing as a newsreader on CNN’s “AC360.”

More Sony/CNN Fallout…

The Wrap’s Jordan Chariton writes about a Turner memo telling its employees to change their passwords…

In response to the Sony hacking cyberattack, Turner Broadcasting is making its employees to change their computer passwords for precautionary purposes, TheWrap has exclusively learned.

(snip)

An insider familiar with the situation told TheWrap managers have expressed the urgency of employees changing their passwords, speaking with employees across Turner Wednesday.

Not quite sure why Turner is concerned about passwords after the Sony hack. There should be no direct fallout to Turner’s employees because Sony got hacked. Or, to put it another way, there should be no way that the Sony hackers should have any more insight into Turner employees’ passwords because Sony got hacked. This seems more like a knee jerk reaction bordering on paranoia.

Robin Meade to New Day?

CNN Commentary is claiming talks are underway to bring Robin Meade over to New Day…

Sources say Morning Express anchor Robin Meade is in serious talks to make the jump from HLN to CNN, where she will become the new co-anchor of New Day. I have also been told HLN is finished and it is only a matter of which organization, Glenn Beck’s The Blaze or Vice News, buys them out.

The problem with this report isn’t whether it’s possible or not. I have no doubt that at some level talks are going on to bring Meade to NYC.

No, the problem with this report is…well…Meade. Meade really didn’t want to go to NYC according to reports in the past…though I’m sure money can cure many ills. The more fundamental problem is Meade comes across the air best as a solo anchor.

S-o-l-o
a-n-c-h-o-r

If she’s not the center of the universe, I have serious doubts how successful any show she’s involved with will be.

New Day is not geared towards the concept of the solo anchor. Indeed, if anything it has gotten more ensemble based as time has gone by. So CNN would be taking a high megawattage solo anchor who stands out a mile away and plug her in to an ensemble show where nobody is supposed to burn that bright. Looks like a recipe for disaster to me. Unless…

…CNN guts the entire format of New Day and the talent that go with it…including Chris Cuomo…and put Meade on by herself with a rotating cast of supporting players. I just see no way CNN can get away with having an Alpha Male anchor in Cuomo and an Alpha Female anchor in Meade share the screen together without the show tearing itself apart in due course.

Then there’s the format. Morning Express is all happy happy joy joy, light on news, and feeds off Meade’s bubbly personality. CNN’s New Day is heavy on news, light on fluff, nobody stands out, and the show does not feed off anybody’s personality. So plugging Meade into that format would be the ultimate square peg/round hole experiment in cable news.

I’m not saying that all these reasons mean that Meade can’t come to CNN. What I am saying is if CNN does bring Meade over, something is going to have to change and change a lot in order for it to work.

CNN + Glenn Beck?

The Wall Street Journal’s Keach Hagey writes about CNN having joint venture discussions with Glenn Beck as a replacement for HLN…

Time Warner Inc.’s CNN has looked beyond Vice Media in its quest for a partner to help revamp its struggling sister station, HLN.

CNN executives have held talks in recent weeks with representatives from Glenn Beck’s The Blaze, a 24-hour news and entertainment network, about a potential joint venture to overhaul HLN, according to people familiar with the matter. Those discussions came after Vice’s talks became public in June. CNN and The Blaze representatives couldn’t agree on terms, the people said.

Among the possible deals considered was an arrangement similar to the one being discussed with Vice Media, according to a person familiar with the deal: forming a new venture between CNN-parent Time Warner and The Blaze that would replace HLN’s current programming with Blaze programming.

The talks illustrate Time Warner’s eagerness to find a solution for the problems at HLN, which has seen its total viewership decline 22% for the season to date, and a 19% decrease in viewers 18 to 49 years old, the demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach, according to Nielsen.

Rupert vs. Time Warner’s Board: Round 2?

The New York Post’s Claire Atkinson and Richard Morgan write about a possible new offer for Time Warner…

“They’ll start working on the common shareholders to appeal to the Time Warner board,” said one executive familiar with Fox’s thinking. “I’m sure they have a very sophisticated plan.”

Fox and Time Warner have 11 major shareholders in common. Together they account for 38.4 percent of Time Warner’s outstanding shares and 42.7 percent of Fox’s. Among them are Capital Group, BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase and Vanguard.

“The question is how do these people want to do this trade? They are trading into themselves. At what price do these guys feel they got a good trade?” said one person familiar with discussions.

“We have no problem taking Rupert’s offer,” said Mario Gabelli, chief executive of Gamco. “Essentially his vision over the next 10 years is about the growth of the middle class in China. Smartphones are giving them access to content.”

Ironic to see Time Warner fend off a big media buy from Fox when over a decade ago Time Warner made a mega big media buy itself…AOL (ok, ok, it was really a merger). And we all know how that turned out…

Time Warner 1, Rupert Murdoch 0

The New York Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin and Michael J. De La Merced write about Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition attempt being blown off by Time Warner…

The media giant 21st Century Fox, the empire run by Rupert Murdoch, made an $80 billion takeover bid in recent weeks for Time Warner Inc. but was rebuffed, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The bold approach could put Time Warner in play and might again ignite a reshaping of the media industry, prompting a new spate of mega-mergers among the nation’s largest entertainment companies.

And there’s this…

As part of the proposal to buy Time Warner, people briefed on the proposal said, 21st Century Fox indicated that it would sell CNN to head off potential antitrust concerns since Fox News competes directly with CNN. Putting CNN on the auction block would likely stir up a bidding war for the news channel; both CBS and ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, have long been viewed as interested suitors.

Well…that would be interesting…not the least because of what it would mean for Jeff Zucker’s future at CNN Worldwide…but I think it would take a lot more than spinning off CNN to get a Fox acquisition of Time Warner to get past Anti Trust regulators…

Taking the Long View…

Bloomberg Businessweek’s Eric Chemi and Ariana Giorgi chart cable news by quarter going all the way back to 2001…when CNN was still #1

As the number of prime-time broadcast TV viewers has gone down, the number tuning into cable news has gone up. Fox has benefited. Its ratings have increased while those of its cable competitors, as a group, have mostly stayed flat. That’s a sign that the growth hasn’t come from other news networks but from viewers who had not previously been watching cable news. Nielsen’s data shows that the only other cable network to be No. 1 in its category for 50 straight quarters is, unsurprisingly, ESPN

Musical Studios…

FTVLive is reporting that HLN will be taking over CNN’s studio space including its newest studio.

Meanwhile, CNN will get HLN’s former and much smaller studio and workspace. As FTVLive FIRST reported, CNN boss Jeff Zucker moved the Atlanta based shows, talent and most of the managers to New York.

Man, they better be working on building one hell of a studio for Newsroom in NYC otherwise this NYC move hurts CNN badly…

How Do Porcupines Mate? Very Carefully…

The New York Times’ Jonathan Mahler and Ravi Somaiya write about the dance Time Warner and 21st Century Fox are doing with Vice…

People familiar with the negotiations say the talks with Time Warner have made the most progress. It could buy a large, minority stake in Vice, and give Vice control of the cable channel HLN, or they could operate the network as a joint venture. The deal would give Vice a 24-hour news network that reaches more than 100 million households. Time Warner would get a potential solution to a channel that has struggled to find an audience.

But the companies remain at odds over how much influence Time Warner would have over Vice and HLN, said the people familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are continuing and delicate. The two also disagree about the total value of Vice. Time Warner contends it is worth about $1.5 billion; Vice says it is worth at least $2.5 billion.

These people also cited another matter. In March, Mr. Smith delivered a profanity-laced assessment of CNN — also owned by Time Warner — to The Daily News in New York, calling the network “a disaster.” The president of CNN, Jeff Zucker, was furious, a Time Warner official said. If Vice were to take over HLN, Mr. Zucker and Mr. Smith would be colleagues.

Among its other suitors, Vice has the strongest relationship with Fox, which last year bought a 5 percent stake in the company for $70 million. James Murdoch is on Vice’s board.

But a Fox deal faces hurdles, too. The company does not have a logical single channel to give Vice, which is what Mr. Smith most wants. “You can’t be MTV without a TV network,” he said.

An agreement might instead call for Vice to program blocks of time on a few Fox networks. And, of course, Fox’s defining news brand, Fox News, is not popular among Vice’s core audience.

The End of HLN As We Know It?

In a must read, Capital New York’s Alex Weprin writes about the possible end of HLN as we know it if Time Warner buys Vice…

If Vice were to gain control of HLN, the channel would almost certainly have to be unbundled from CNN. That could be messy, as pay-TV providers could seek to cut CNN’s carriage fee, or decline to carry HLN. If HLN were to continue to be bundled with CNN, Vice wouldn’t be able to capitalize on carriage fees, which would still be tied to CNN. All in all it would be a messy transaction.

What happens to HLN’s content?

If HLN is in the midst of a pivot, wouldn’t the Vice deal kill the pivot before it is even complete? HLN won’t have its new programming lineup ready til later this year, and even then it includes legacy shows hosted by talent like Dr. Drew and Nancy Grace. What would happen to HLN’s programming in the event of a Vice takeover? Would it stay on during the transition? Perhaps Vice would simply get a block of programming in the interim. Who knows.

I’ll go one further…what happens to certain HLN news talent? I’m thinking specifically of Robin Meade. This could force the issue, long speculated about by everyone and long favorited by FTVLive, of moving Meade over to CNN for mornings. I have never been a big proponent of such a move because I think Meade would be a bad fit for what CNN does in the mornings. But if Vice gets HLN, I have to believe Meade is CNN bound. Zucker would not want to let her go.

Everyone connected with New Day should be concerned. Very concerned. You all may have just been put on a clock.

HLN Teams Up With Twitter…

HLN announced a new alliance with Twitter today…

HLN AND TWITTER FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE TO CREATE AN ALL-SCREEN EXPERIENCE FOR NEWS

Alliance Includes Piloting New Ways to Visualize Twitter Data on Air and Use of Twitter to Engage the Audience During Coverage of Mid-Term Elections

HLN, which rebranded itself earlier this year as the first TV home for the social media generation (millennials and the millennial-minded), has formed a strategic partnership with Twitter, it was announced by Albie Hecht, executive vice president and general manager, HLN and Vivian Schiller, head of news, Twitter.

The partnership will include collaboration between HLN and Twitter on several projects, including piloting an innovative program to visualize Twitter data live on air in new and compelling ways. The teams will work together to broadcast live visualizations of Twitter data simultaneously across television and digital platforms. During 2014, HLN will use Twitter to power trending segments on Morning Express with Robin Meade.

HLN Announces New Shows…

HLN announced some new programming today…

HLN ANNOUNCES NIGHTLY NEWS PROGRAM, THE DAILY SHARE & UNVEILS 2ND DEVELOPMENT SLATE UNDER NEW BRAND AT 2014-15 UPFRONT

*Projects Include: 2 Spouses, 3 Houses; America’s Most Liked; What’s Trending; The Indie Machines Project; Wkly M@shup with Chuey Martinez;
Natural Born Mixer With Alex Ott; Web Mysteries; News or Not; The Social Life; Beyond The Like; Trip Traders

HLN dives further into a social media filter with a wide-ranging mix of programs in development to be announced by Albie Hecht, executive vice president and general manager, HLN, at today’s CNN Worldwide Upfront presentation in New York City.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s (Insert name here)!

Capital New York’s Alex Weprin scoops that HLN is thinking about getting into the late night talk show format…

HLN is the latest cable channel looking to break into the increasingly crowded late night talk/variety show game.

The channel, which is in the middle of a rebranding, has shot a pilot for a talk show called “Weekly Mashup,” hosted by KIIS D.J. Chuey Martinez, according to a source familiar with the project.

“Weekly Mashup” would mirror other late night shows, with celebrity guests and musical acts, but it tweaks the format a bit with how it integrates social media. The idea is that people behind notable Twitter feeds, or people who post cool Vine, Instagram or YouTube videos, would appear as guests on the show as well.

“None of [the competitors] are planning what we are planning, which is that we are here for you, and we are going to put you on TV,” HLN chief Albie Hecht told Capital in February.

Inside HLN’s Rebranding…

The Hollywood Reporter’s Marisa Guthrie writes about HLN’s rebranding…

HLN is undertaking a major rebranding away from wall-to-wall trial coverage and toward a programming strategy centered on the social media conversation. And executive vp and general manager Albie Hecht, installed last November by CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker, is about to push the boundaries on programming for a traditional cable news network with an eclectic development slate that includes game shows, docuseries (which have been successful on CNN) and apps that could also be TV segments.

Hecht, a former Viacom executive, compares his mission at HLN with his experience being a member of the team that launched MTV. “It’s about finding the white spaces,” he says. “When you build a brand, you’re fulfilling a need.”

But the landscape is much more crowded and noisy today than it was in 1981 when MTV premiered, or even 2003, when Hecht oversaw the successful transition of TNN to Spike TV, the first network targeting men. But like his boss Zucker, Hecht is prepared to throw things at the proverbial wall. And the network’s development slate reveals an eclectic mix of programs that one would not expect to find on a traditional cable news channel. But, says Hecht, he’s running after a different audience than MSNBC, Fox News Channel or even CNN.

“News that you share is very different from breaking news that other networks will cover,” he notes. “Our content is going to be different.”

How different? Read today’s press release…

NEWLY RE-BRANDED HLN ANNOUNCES INITIAL 2014 PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT SLATE

*Series Contenders Keywords, I Can Haz NewsToons, One.Click.Away, Vacation Hunters, Videocracy and app #What’sYourFOMO in Development

HLN, rebranded in 2014 as the first TV home for the social media generation (millennials and the millennial-minded), unveils its initial program development slate using its new social media filter, it was announced by Albie Hecht, executive vice president and general manager, HLN.

Chasing the White Whale…

Yesterday’s branding announcement by HLN seems like a tall order. A very tall order. To refresh your memory here’s part of yesterday’s release…

Taking a cue from today’s connected and wildly social generation, HLN will curate the news from across all platforms. Headlines will be ripped from the most “plugged-in” sites and blogs, and HLN will make it its mission to share the trending news, viral events and stories that have viewers most obsessed, plus discover emerging social stars.

“While others report on the conversation, HLN will be a part of it,” said @AlbieHechtHLN. “Just as MTV was adopted by a disconnected target audience that was underserved by television, HLN will be the first TV home to embrace the social media generation and champion its interests.”

HLN will add the TV component and a sense of humor to what consumers are searching, playing, sharing, shopping, creating and watching all day long, non-stop and in real time.

The first acquisition in the newly reformatted HLN is a customized version of the hit syndicated television show, RightThisMinute premiering Monday, February 10, and airing weeknights 10-11 p.m. ET. The program is the first daily broadcast series devoted to finding the most captivating web videos and the stories behind them as they break, often before going viral. RightThisMinute is produced by MagicDust Television and syndicated by MGM Domestic Television Distribution.

Networks have been trying the past several years to integrate social media into their newscasts and coverage with little success. It would not be too far off the mark to characterize social media as Moby Dick and cable news as Captain Ahab.

The problem has always been the same…how do you integrate Social Media into a newscast and still have it remain a newscast without it turning into a less humorous version of America’s Home Videos or a real time version of Caught on Camera?

Despite HLN’s announcement, the Devil is in the details and at this stage HLN’s details are few and far between aside from the announcement of RightThisMinute.

So there is essentially a blank canvas for HLN to paint with as it works to becoming the Social Media Network. But I’m skeptical. If it was easy someone should have already hit on the winning formula by now. That nobody has…not even for a single show…says a lot. The Moby Dick analogy portends for an ominous outcome…

HLN Cancels Showbiz Tonight…

TVNewser’s Jordan Chariton scooped this morning that HLN was cancelling Showbiz Tonight. All the staff except AJ Hammer are out of a job. There was a time when Showbiz Tonight was regularly beating MSNBC in the ratings. But those days are long gone…as was HLN’s purpose in having the show on the air. I wonder if Jeff Zucker is going to position Hammer for a show on CNN? Given recent trends at that network it would not suprise me any…