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CNN: The Continuing Soap Opera


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Martin Savidge and Robin Meade both should have stayed.  CNN/HLN is foolish for letting them go.

 

Meanwhile, some of those who have made CNN a laughing stock are sticking around.  That doesn't bode well.  "This Morning" simulcast is a mistake.

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I was wondering when Licht was going to start making changes to HLN. Not sure what the point of simulcasting CNN This Morning is, though, especially since I suspect the two channels are side-by-side on most cable systems.

 

 

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Sorry to hear that HLN is essentially gone. I had hope when they brought back the "Headline News" in the bug but it stopped being a destination for news.

 

I see they're doing this weird thing with Tuesdays again. CNN This Morning debuted on a Tuesday. Now Tuesday, December 6th is when HLN will stop producing live programming. I'm probably way off but I wonder if it is a way to give Robin and the team a proper sendoff, as Robin was not in this morning (and presumably out for the week).

 

Simulcasting CNN This Morning is an odd choice, unless there was going to be some Headline News-style ticker providing some sort of variation.

 

Also sorry for all of the people who were laid off, most of whom are names we would not recognize. I have a feeling that contributors such as Susan Glasser and Jonathan Martin may still pop up, but not as often and will no longer be exclusive to CNN.

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My opinion of Meade is that there wouldn't be a place for her on the main CNN. She's not a hard journalist compared to Wolf Blitzer, she's more of a fun personality. I don't know if CNN would even have another spot for her. Very sad over the past month with these layoffs around multiple networks, including Meade and Shep.

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42 minutes ago, Geoffrey said:

 

 

Simulcasting CNN This Morning is an odd choice, unless there was going to be some Headline News-style ticker providing some sort of variation.

I assume it’s to keep its programming requirements with cable providers re: the amount of news on the channel.  There have been rumors/outright indications (the West Wing marathon over Thanksgiving) about HLN becoming an entertainment channel; maybe this is the way to pivot to that without spending too much money or unnerving its providers.

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I wonder why Robin never went to the big ship is she didn’t want to live from Atlanta and go to NYC. I have a feeling she might just focus on her music career for while. 
 

I’m Surprised it took this long for HLN to leave the CNN Group and go to another segment. it shouldn’t have been under the news networks if all they have had is a morning show. I bet the CNN this morning will run for 6 months and then go away and just air crime and a name change to follow 

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I also wouldn't be surprised if the CNN Intl schedule gets increasingly cut and/or separated (as if it hasn't already been)

Since Bianca Nobilo was moved to the 4AM ET hour to join Max on his Newsroom beat, her old program at the 5PM ET timeslot, The Global Brief, has now been made redundant (only Lynda Kinkade seemed to have been subbing in and it aired inconsistently).

 

It wasn't that long ago (14 months) when CNN announced the launch of the latest edition of the program with Bianca. 

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1 hour ago, Drew said:

I’m Surprised it took this long for HLN to leave the CNN Group and go to another segment. it shouldn’t have been under the news networks if all they have had is a morning show. I bet the CNN this morning will run for 6 months and then go away and just air crime and a name change to follow 

 

My interpretation of the announcement is that the crime shows are being added to Investigation Discovery, likely allowing WBD to either flip HLN into something different or vacate the channel space altogether. (If it's the latter, I hope AMC Networks tries to get BBC World News in there.)

 

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7 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

If NewsNation blows this chance to get her on Morning in America they're completely lost. This is one case where you go for it, current talent be damned.

 

And why Discovery is still not considering winding down networks continues to be beyond me; I know the RTC is why, but there is no reason for Destination America and Discovery Family to be on the air. Now with HLN there are 5-6 channels that should be gone.


NN would be foolish not to make an offer, but they’re not the brightest bunch. 
 

I think winding down networks is a real possibility in the very near future. With the stock price taking some major hits this year, they likely don’t want to have to deal with the upheaval winding down networks would bring.

 

This is a long shot for sure… but I wouldn’t be surprised if they consolidated their sports programming and create a sports network(s) again.

Edited by jase
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I know Meade is popular around here (and I quite like her myself), but I can’t say I’m surprised that she’s leaving. Her program always had a bit of a niche audience, and since it was the only news program on what’s become a true crime channel, it’s always been out of place. While I personally think it’s better than New Day, its lighter tone means that it wouldn’t fit in with the rest of CNN’s programming. Hopefully she finds work elsewhere (she’s too good not to).

 

Still, I really don’t like this whole “cut to success” mentality that Discovery is implementing across CNN (and across the entire company, for that matter). Yes, CNN desperately needed to change, but making the network irrelevant is not the answer.

17 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

And why Discovery is still not considering winding down networks continues to be beyond me; I know the RTC is why

You kind of answered your own question there. Still, the amount of zombie networks they have is astounding.

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3 hours ago, Drew said:

I’m not up at 3a to see HLN since I’m in Seattle but did they address the 5th is their last broadcast?

I watch every morning and this morning was pretty different. It wasn’t addressed per se, Susan Hendricks filled in for Robin, but towards the end of the 6am hour they all sat together on the set which almost never happens, and ended the hour talking about Dolly Parton’s Christmas Special. Susan goes “and talking about special” and it cut back to them on the set holding hands and hugging each other as Dolly was singing a song from her special about being together in dark times and making it through, and the camera panned around to show all the staff behind the cameras in the studio. It was a very tongue-in-cheek moment where they were basically like F- you to Licht and CNN. You could tell Bob was starting to get emotional and trying to hold it back, before it cut to commercial he got up and started walking around trying to play it off and hold back his tears.

 

What also made this morning different than the others was that only the 6am hour was live. Usually they go two full hours live and run the first two hours again pre-recorded before going into an entirely different hour hosted by Shyann Malone. Other times the third or fourth hour will also be live in the instance of developing stories or breaking news. Today they re-ran the 6am hour for four hours, and then at 10am when Shyann is supposed to come on (and the guide even said it was supposed to come on) they ran Forensic Files reruns.

 

My guess is that some people didn’t show up for work today or they figured since they were being laid off anyway to give it the bare minimum today.

 

From what I understand, the reason that Monday will be the last day of Morning Express is to allow Robin to get back from vacation and properly send the show off. She was off all week with regular fill-in Elizabeth Prann filling in Monday and Tuesday and Susan filling in Wednesday-Friday. Of course nobody expected this week to be the last week, so Prann won’t get a chance to properly say goodbye unless she’s somehow included on Monday.

 

I also agree that NN should be doing whatever they can to scoop up all the talent from HLN and keep Morning Express on the air in some form. Heck maybe they could even work out a leasing deal with CNN to rent the old HLN space for a NN Atlanta bureau. Wishful thinking, and definitely speculatron, but this show shouldn’t end even if it has been on borrowed time for more than a decade.

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Another option for Robin and Company is how about Scripps? They've made good money with Newsy by building it up over the past few years. With them rebranding it the first of the year, this might be their best shot with a big name. Plus, Newsy is easily available OTA, on Streaming devices, on FAST services, on Smart TV software and audio devices, so pretty much anywhere. Scripps has handled the transition to Streaming really well, whereas NexStar is still very much standoffish regarding it. I'd also love to See Shep on there as well.  I see Scripps has a building in Atlanta too.

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6 hours ago, CLETVFan said:

They were in such a rush to get rid of CNN+, but don't seem to mind the zombie channels.  WBD is becoming a bigger joke every day.

CNN+ never should have been launched in the first place. It was doomed when the architect and highest-profile backer (Zucker) was forced out, and felt like it was given the green light in spite of the incoming Discovery team. It didn’t really have much to distinguish itself from CNN, it wasn’t a redo of Headline News… just a bunch of wayward niche fare.

 

Given the crippling debt load that AT&T inflicted on WBD, the shutdown of CNN+ in retrospect should have been a warning sign for us all.

Edited by Myron Falwell
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Former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter writes about the demise of HLN for The Atlantic: 

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/12/hln-network-layoffs-cnn/672332/

The End of Companion Television

CNN’s Headline News may seem thoroughly old-fashioned now that it’s dead. But its demise is a reminder of the creeping nature of media obsolescence.

 

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1 hour ago, Geoffrey said:

Former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter writes about the demise of HLN for The Atlantic: 

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/12/hln-network-layoffs-cnn/672332/

The End of Companion Television

CNN’s Headline News may seem thoroughly old-fashioned now that it’s dead. But its demise is a reminder of the creeping nature of media obsolescence.

 

Kind of ironic that Stelter wrote this after he was let go from CNN.

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2 hours ago, CLETVFan said:

Kind of ironic that Stelter wrote this after he was let go from CNN.

That's not what irony is, and Stelter is a student of cable news so he was a perfect person to write about this. And he mentioned that he previously worked at CNN.

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Weekend Express won’t be getting a proper farewell; HLN has chosen to air reruns of Forensic Files in its timeslot this weekend, so the layoffs of the Weekend Express on-air and production teams were effective immediately upon the layoff announcement. I’m guessing the CNN This Morning simulcast won’t include its weekend editions once the simulcast begins.

 

I’m surprised the morning editions of CNN Newsroom weren’t included as a simulcast as well, which suggests the required minimum amount of news programming stipulated in HLN’s carriage deals must be around 15 hours per week (the total number of hours that CNNTM runs during the work week, accounting for its three-hour runtime).

Edited by T.L. Hughes
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I have a feeling HLN will merge with Investigation Discovery in the near future.  Both channels are now identical with similar programming.  Doesn't make sense to keep both of them going.

 

How many cable networks does WBD have now?

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1 hour ago, CLETVFan said:

I have a feeling HLN will merge with Investigation Discovery in the near future.  Both channels are now identical with similar programming.  Doesn't make sense to keep both of them going.

 

How many cable networks does WBD have now?

In the U.S. alone, WBD owns or operates 49 cable networks:

* CNN

* HLN

* CNN en Español

* CNN International

* TBS

* TNT

* TruTV

* Turner Classic Movies

* Cartoon Network/Adult Swim 

* Boomerang (English and Spanish)

* Discovery Channel

* Discovery en Español

* TLC

* Animal Planet

* Travel Channel

* Food Network

* Cooking Channel

* HGTV

* Hogar de HGTV

* Destination America

* Investigation Discovery

* Oprah Winfrey Network (95% with Harpo Productions)

* American Heroes Channel

* Discovery Life

* Science Channel

* Motor Trend

* Magnolia Network (JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines; operated by Home Box Office, Inc.)

* Discovery Family (60% with Hasbro)

* Discovery Familia

* AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

* AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain

* AT&T SportsNet Southwest

* Root Sports Northwest (40% with Baseball Club of Seattle, LP)

* MLB Network (16.67% with Major League Baseball, NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications and Cox Communications)

* NBA TV (operated by WBD, owned by the NBA)

* HBO

* HBO2

* HBO Signature

* HBO Family

* HBO Comedy

* HBO Zone

* HBO Latino

* Cinemax

* MoreMax

* ActionMax

* ThrillerMax

* MovieMax

* Cinemáx (Spanish-language simulcast of main Cinemax channel)

* 5StarMax

* OuterMax

Edited by T.L. Hughes
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