Struggling Headline News (HLN) is shutting down its live shows based in New York and Los Angeles and will be launching a new program schedule on Oct. 29.
About 15 people are losing their jobs in the process.
While other cable news channels , including HLN’s sister network CNN, have seen higher ratings and increased ad revenues because of political coverage during the Trump administration, HLN has not been able to capitalize with its recent focus on crime programming.
In a note to staff, HLN head Ken Jautz said that the network will be shifting resources from live programming to longform programs and will centralize its news production in Atlanta.
“It’s with deep regret that we will have to end production of Across America with Carol Costello, Michaela and Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield. I know that you will join me in thanking these incredibly talented journalists and their teams for their dedication and hard work,” he said in the memo.
Jautz said that beginning Oct. 29, HLN will air an expanded version of Morning Express With Robin Meade from 6 a.m. to noon, then On the Story from noon to 3 p.m. Documentaries and other taped programming will start at 3 p.m.
Weekend Express With Lynn Smith will continue to air from 7 a.m. to noon.
Here is the full note from Jautz:
I want to share some information about next steps at HLN.
The current cable news landscape is dominated by politics. Our live news shows have not benefitted from this trend given our story mix. However, HLN’s longform programs have been performing very well.
In today’s news environment, every network has to focus on its strengths. To ensure HLN’s growth, we will shift some of our resources from live to longform programming and produce our live shows in as streamlined a manner as possible. The best way to do this is to centralize production of live news programming in Atlanta.
Beginning October 29, our live program schedule will be as follows: 6a-noon ET, an expanded “Morning Express with Robin Meade;” noon-3p “On the Story;” series, documentaries and other taped programming will start at 3p. “Weekend Express with Lynn Smith” hours remain 7a-noon.
As a result, we will no longer have live programs based in NY or LA. It’s with deep regret that we will have to end production of “Across America with Carol Costello,” “Michaela” and “Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield.” I know that you will join me in thanking these incredibly talented journalists and their teams for their dedication and hard work.
We built a top-notch line-up of some of the best anchors and show teams in the industry and we are proud of what we’ve accomplished together these past few years
