Former CNN anchor Brian Stelter says shutdown of live programming on HLN spells end of companionship TV op-ed Published in The Atlantic Friday.
“The passing of HLN, CNN’s 40-year-old sister station, which will stop airing original newscasts next week, deserves attention not because it marks the end of an era, but because it’s a reminder that eras in media are truly over.” How do we end up in the U. Before death comes obsolescence,” Stelter wrote. “Audiences tuning in for companionship may find only a faint echo of what once was. The TV will still be on, but all the hotness is gone.” Has been.”
Although Stelter notes that “media winter” continually brings layoffs and cost-cutting measures across the industry — that list this year includes CNN, which recently laid off hundreds of employees, The Washington Post, npr and the Gannett newspaper chain – he views HLN’s live programming as “a fixture of cable television”. [that went] End.”
Created by Ted Turner, HLN (Headline News, as it was previously known) launched in 1982, just 19 months after CNN was founded, and provided headlines and quick bursts of news throughout the day that were akin to CNN. Kept up with the news since. -Were unable to maintain an in-depth interview.
However, when the iPhone and Twitter took away the concept of short-form news, the network evolved into house talk shows hosted by Glenn Beck, Joey Behr, and Drew Pinsky, among others, while Nancy Grace’s crime show took the network by storm. launched. Popularity.
“The ground was shifting dramatically, and HLN was trying to find a way to stand still,” Stelter wrote. “Here’s the problem with obsolescence, though: It’s not just the land that changes. It’s the entire media world.
As HLN found its footing, Robin Meade, the weekday-morning host and “the longest-running morning host in history,” emerged as the face of the network—a figure Stelter says “reveals the emergence of TikTok.” The stars could learn a thing or two” in terms of “engaging the person on the other side all the way through the camera lens”.
“Television news, the way I see it, is about continuity and companionship,” the former “Reliable Sources” host, whose show was canceled in August, continued. “Or it was anyway. TV journalists break big news and speak truth to power, just like journalists in every other medium—but what sets TV apart is that both of the screen Relationship between people on the side. Viewers form emotional bonds with the anchors they watch and stream.
Although Stelter said that no one he spoke to at HLN appeared to be surprised by the announcement because “it seemed inevitable that news on HLN would stop altogether at some point,” he noted that Meade was a substantial fan. lamented the premise that “could be your average podcast host or Substack writer.” only dream
“Mead’s fans are right to feel a sense of loss,” he concluded. “This tense moment for TV news has no small number of anchors and hosts questioning what they thought they knew about the medium – and how much shelf space will exist for them in the future.”