Forty years after it was founded by Ted Turner, HLN is exiting the live TV business.
The CNN offshoot, originally called Headline News, has canceled all of its live programming, merging its crime-focused docuseries with sister WBD channel ID under Kathleen Finch.
The HLN shakeup is part of wider layoffs that took place Thursday at CNN Worldwide, as CEO Chris light strives for cost savings in an increasingly challenging economic environment.
“Our goal during the strategic review process was to better align our people, processes and resources with our future priorities, strengthen our ability to deliver on CNN’s core journalism mission and enable us to innovate in the years to come” Licht told staff in a note Thursday afternoon. “At the highest level, the goal is to use our resources to best serve and grow audiences for our core news programs and products.”
And the core, as evident from the cuts, is on CNN, with its support networks bearing the brunt of the cuts, none more so than HLN.
With the changes, HLN has canceled its long-running morning show Morning Express with Robin Meade.
Meade has been anchoring HLN’s morning programming since 2005, and it has routinely been the most popular programming on the channel. While it generally drew a much smaller audience than morning shows on MSNBC, Fox News, and the broadcast networks (as well as sister channel CNN), Meade’s fast pace and steady presence kept a small number of viewers tuning in.
“I want to take a moment to thank Robin Meade — she is not only an exceptionally popular anchor, but also one of the longest-running morning hosts in history,” Licht wrote Thursday. “I know the HLN audience will miss her and the other HLN talent.”
HLN will broadcast simultaneously CNN this morning moving forward.
But CNN International also saw a reorganization, with the 5 p.m. show also shifting to a simulcast of CNN US. And at CNN en Español, Licht says it will “expand its audience by diversifying the network’s programming beyond news,” likely leaning on Spanish-language content produced elsewhere at WBD. The network will have some news for now, but Licht adds that they will “develop a much more robust digital platform for CNNE with a goal of launching it in 2024.”
The ranks of CNN contributors have been reduced, with Licht outlining a new focus: “We will rely more on our CNN journalists in some areas. In general, we will engage contributors who are subject matter experts who will expand and diversify the viewpoints we bring to our audience.
And newsgathering was also cut, although Licht writes that they are “reallocating resources to staff in some units and in more areas of the country.”
“This will help us achieve our goal of covering the United States more broadly,” he added. “Much of the staff reductions at Newsgathering will be offset by the addition of new roles to best serve our audience across platforms.”
The overarching theme of Licht’s memo was CNN’s news core. HLN, with its crime shows and limited live programming, had run out of steam. CNN en Español is clearly in the midst of transforming into a digital news channel, while shifting contributor ranks to become smaller and more focused on experts in the field is intended to bolster live news coverage, rather than pundits .
Licht’s full memo is below.
December 1, 2022
To my CNN colleagues,
As promised in my note from yesterday, I’ll provide an overview of the changes we’ve made across the company. Our goal during the strategic review process was to better align our people, processes and resources with our future priorities, strengthen our ability to deliver on CNN’s core journalistic mission and enable us to innovate in the years to come . At the highest level, the goal is to use our resources to best serve and grow audiences for our core news programs and products.
To achieve these goals, we will reduce open positions, reimagine our workflows and align our staffing, investments and focus around three key strategic priorities: programming, newsgathering and digital. All decisions are intended to strengthen the core of our company.
While it’s not possible to capture every role involved in an email like this, I’d like to take a quick look at the broader changes we’re making:
HLN
As of December 6, CNN will no longer produce live programming for HLN and will instead simulcast CNN This Morning. HLN Crime programming will be under Kathleen Finch’s WBD Networks and will be merged with ID. I want to take a moment to thank Robin Meade – she’s not only an exceptionally popular anchor, but also one of the longest-running morning hosts in history. I know the HLN audience will miss her and the other HLN talent.
CNN International
CNN International is reorganizing some of its teams and bureaus, and effective immediately the 5:00-5:30 PM ET show will be replaced by a simulcast of CNN US during that half hour.
Cn in Spanish
CNNE’s linear network will seek to expand its audience by diversifying the network’s programming beyond news. We will continue to produce news for CNNE, and over the next year we will try to develop a much more robust digital platform for CNNE with a goal of launching it in 2024. news audience, and we’ll talk more about that in 2023.
American news gathering
We’re restructuring some of our beats, redeploying resources to staff in some units and in more areas around the country. This will help us achieve our goal of covering the United States more broadly. Many of the staff reductions at Newsgathering will be offset by the addition of new roles to best serve our audiences across all platforms.
contributors
We’re also shifting our approach to paid contributors. In some areas, we will rely more on our CNN journalists. In general, we will engage contributors who are subject matter experts who will expand and diversify the viewpoints we bring to our audience.
Computer programming
Our programming teams will see some reductions in show staffing and, in some cases, the combination of teams for our daytime and weekend lineups.
creative marketing
The Creative Marketing team will see an overall downsizing, realigning internal production and consolidating creative and strategic roles in New York. Roles will be added to support that work and expand our digital and growth marketing efforts.
Research
Research is being reorganized to focus resources on CNN’s core business and to optimize our newly integrated Digital Analytics and Data Science teams.
Activities
The Operations teams are restructuring to match the changes in other units in the organization.
CNN Digital
CNN Digital conducted an exercise earlier this fall to ensure they were best structured for the future. They then made changes and as a result there are no further consequences in this process.
The changes we are making today are necessary and will make us stronger and better positioned to make big bets in the future without fear of failure.
To our departing colleagues, I would like to express my gratitude for your dedicated and tireless service and for your many contributions to CNN. I would like to emphasize to all employees how important it is to take the time you need to make the best possible progress. You can now find resources to support you here. I’m holding a town hall meeting on Tuesday to answer your questions, which can be submitted anonymously here.
I am proud of this CNN team and together we will ensure that CNN remains the world’s leading source of news and information.
Chris