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 ...
You got that right, buddy.
It would probably do better if it reported all of the news instead of just the half Ted Turner wants you to hear.
Ah, looks like they'll be switching from biased newscasts to 100% unfiltered propaganda.
Qwinn
Unless they dump their ideology they will remain in a last place battle with PMSNBC.
The media is having a hard time reaching the well connected masses. It will only be harder for them moving forward. People have been freed by the ability to get news on demand rather than being fed news when the MSM demands. Podcasting is only going to make it worse, I think.
Best of luck to them.
Goody. What this tells me is that they anticipate the Michael Jackson trial being a big story, and they are blocking out 3 hours to cover it (entertainment and legal).
I can't tell you how excited I am at the prospect of all cable channels covering every sordid detail of Michael Jackson's psycho life, while they ignore such boring things as Social Security reform and foreign policy.
LOL!
[Ah, looks like they'll be switching from biased newscasts to 100% unfiltered propaganda.]
I thought this was really funny until I realized how completely accurate it was.
It could have been worse....they could have hired Triumph, the insult dog to compete with O'Reilly and you know how every body loves sock puppets.
OMG, the prospect of CNN airing the Jackson family story in-depth is enough to make my skin crawl.
Dysfunctional doesn't even come close to describing this living zoo of breast-baring, child molesting rogues and scalawags.
Wadda ya wanna bet it's another ratings disaster for the Crapola Network?
A WHOLE hour of Nancy Grace? That should boost ratings. Not!
Good idea.......we oughta get a (ahem) "fan club" together to suggest CNN hires ol' Al.
The only thing I want to hear about MJ is when his prison term starts.
Too bad they didn't attribute FreeRepublic as singularly preeminent as THE instant source of news in the high tech age.
Plus, if they fill their air time with Michael Jackson, they don't have to cover President Bush.
You are so correct. What you get from headline news is more liberal spin than "straight" news. Of course they would not admit to it, but much of their "unbiased" news reports are decidedly leftist tinged. Maybe there is no right or left way to report disasters, but they sure go out of their way to not report anything that might be construed as positive towards conservatives or Republicans. Their coverage of the war is an excellent example. They always emphasize U.S. military and civilian Iraqi deaths and casualties while underreporting objectives and triumphs. Their chief "pundit" about Iraq is Tony Karon (?) from Time Magazine. Enough said. The sinister hand of Ted Turner obviously is directing what gets put on and how it is reported.
Course, this is only a guess---but I would bet that Jackson and his star cronies and anyone connected to this trial are going to be indelibly tarnished as a result of the trial's raunchy evidence and testimony.
I wonder how long they will lend their star presence to this sideshow?
"...while they ignore such boring things as Social Security reform and foreign policy."
Arguable, ignoring these is actually better than the grossly biased 30-second sound bites and hate headlines they usually subject their audiences to.
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