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HLN revealed plans Monday to rebrand into a destination for millennials and the “social media generation.”
The cable news network is vowing to redefine TV news by ripping headlines from the most “plugged-in” sites and blogs, and focusing on content that’s being shared and going viral across all screens.
“While others report on the conversation, HLN will be a part of it,” said Albie Hecht, HLN’s newly-installed executive VP and GM. “Just as MTV was adopted by a disconnected target audience that was underserved by television, HLN will be the first TV home to embrace the social media generation and champion its interests.”
The rebrand is latest step in Hecht’s comprehensive makeover of HLN, which last week saw primetime mainstay “Showbiz Tonight” dropped from the schedule. Hecht has also cancelled “Evening Express,” “Now in America,” and “Raising America.”
New HLN’s first acquisition, the syndicated show “RightThisMinute,” debuts Monday and will air weeknights at 10pm-11pm PT. “RightThisMinute,” which focuses on viral videos and the stories behind them, is produced by MagicDust Television and is syndicated by MGM Domestic Television Distribution.
Additional new programming will fill other genres, including animation, reality, gaming, and clip shows, the network said.
Shows making the transition to New HLN—including “Morning Express,” “News Now,” “Jane Velez-Mitchell,” “Nancy Grace,” and “Dr. Drew on Call”—will all incorporate the network’s new social media format.
Read More: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
Brief Take: HLN hopes the much-sought-after Millennial demographic will finally give cable news a try with programming that veers more towards the “Daily Show” and “Talk Soup” end of the spectrum.
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