Posted on 02/20/2005 3:09:00 AM PST by Liz
For the first time in its history, CNN's Headline News is tinkering with its all-news format.
The network will launch a new primetime lineup tomorrow the first time in the network's 20-plus years on the air that it's making a break from airing straight newscasts.
"We're doing it because it's a chance to use both of our networks in a complementary way," said Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN Newsgroup.
"In this day and age there is so much competition in news. By the time you get to prime time people know the headlines of the day."
The switch is one of the early changes under new CNN President Jonathan Klein, who took over the network late last year.
While Fox News surpassed CNN in the ratings in recent years and is the No. 1 cable news network, CNN's sister network Headline News has held its own. Last year, for example, Headline News averaged 213,000 viewers during daytime hours, compared with 201,000 for MSNBC and 207,000 for CNBC, according to Nielsen.
In primetime last year, Headline News' ratings were largely flat from the year before.
Beginning tomorrow evening, Headline News will begin airing "Showbiz Tonight" from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. a live, talk-oriented show on the entertainment business. In the next hour, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., the network will air the legal talk show "Nancy Grace," hosted by the CourtTV anchor of the same name.
Grace, who became a prosecutor after her fiancee was murdered, will continue to host her CourtTV show "Closing Arguments."
"There's a very high interest among viewers in legal news and entertainment," Jautz said.
"It's the first time we've had a major marketing campaign for Headline News," Jautz said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Not here. There's 24 hours a day of "entertainment news" on the E! channel, and 24 hours a day of Nancy Grace et al on Court TV, not to mention the insufferable Abrahmson on MSNBC.
So this is not what one would call a savvy and cutting-edge executive decision.
But they'd see ratings skyrocket if they ran 2 hours of Seinfeld reruns.
Fox could use "Just the Facts, Ma'am" as their advertising slogan for an all-news the old fashioned way programming. Show clips of blather from CNN and intercut with Joe Friday's "Just the facts, ma'am" from the 1950s and you've got a winner.
Another great slogan -- show CNN blather, show real news on Fox, and have the real newscaster say "You can't make this stuff up."
This stuff is too hilarious to make up.
What an idiot!
Being the propaganda arm of the radical faction of the Democrat Party hasn't dragged you far enough into oblivion?
Seeking a quicker death?
What?
Great point!
One would think that they are about to introduce us to more trash programming because they have "run out of" news.
Compared to their parent network; Headline News should count their blessings.
They should get a big round table and seat a dozen liberals sipping kool-aid and whining how evil conservatives are.
They can call it "Kool-aid With Kooks."
When I want to hear the latest slap at Bush Administration policy, or at Bush's ongoing success in Iraq, or on the GOP plan to reform social security and/or the tax code -- THEN I turn to CNN/Headline News.
Unfortunately, I don't care to hear such drivel, which means that Headline News is simply a flyby channel while I click my way from Discovery to the Movie Channel to Fox News.
LOL.....about sums it up.
LOL.....hey, maybe Kool-Aid mfg will even sponsor it.
They play Headline News in many truck/rest stops, hotels, and other common areas for just that reason.
"There's a very high interest among viewers in legal news and entertainment," Jautz said.They might as well bring the show during the day and make it into soap!!! That may keep their rating on par with "As the world turns..."
Rudi Bhaktiar nude news coming up next.
Deckchairs/Titanic.
If you want to know what's happening after everyone else, watch Headline News. On FOX News, CNN, etc., when they have breaking news, they stop what they're doing and report it. On Headline News, they might get around to it in the next half-hour.
New format is clock that runs backwards. Right four times a day!
Heheh, don't know where they're going, or how to get there.
...in a time warp......
......more like Clothing Optional News......to be politically correct.
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