Atlanta-based HLN is rebranding itself as the network for the "social media generation," meaning the millenials and the "millenial minded."
The new slogan: "We're not the news network. You are."
Millenials are loosely considered people born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. That means they are now about 12 to 32 years old. They are people who grew up with PCs and the Web, who saw the transition from CDs to downloads, who view Nirvana as classic rock.
They are also the first generation who get their entertainment on demand and more on tablets and smartphones. Even if they have a TV, they might rely more on Netflix than a cable carrier.
"Television is not the destination for news for younger viewers - unless it's on Comedy Central," said Brad Adgate, research director at New York-based Horizon Media, which tracks and studies television viewing behavior. "This could be a work in progress. But if it pans out, it could be quite lucrative. They have great distribution."
HLN - since it dropped its rotating tight news focus a decade ago and its name "Headline News" a few years ago - had previously been targeting housewives in the South and Midwest with heavy doses of news you can use and crime stories.
Albie Hecht, who joined HLN last fall and has an entertainment - not a news - background, provided a quote in the press release but isn't called Albie Hecht. Rather, publicists quote him using his Twitter handle @AlbieHechtHLN: "While others report on the conversation, HLN will be a part of it. 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 content, he said in a follow-up interview, "will give you a different picture than what you'd see on MSNBC."
He wants to create a "risk-taking start-up mentality" at HLN, a place where people will be allowed to experiment and fail at times. "If we can have three hits out of 10, I'd be thrilled,' he said.
In an environment where Millenials are going to Amazon and Netflix, Hecht said "there's even more of a need to create a strong brand and a brand that fulfills a need and isn't jsut a me-too idea or me-too show."
This could mean more inspirational stories, animal stories and science and technology stories, said Hecht, who helped develop the Nickelodeon and Spike TV brands.
While other networks (even the nightly news) frequently air interesting Tweets, Instagram photos and YouTube videos, HLN said it will "curate the news from across all platforms."
It won't necessarily drop covering big crime trials, Hecht said.
The network will better integrate its website with its TV network and will also finally develop its own HLN app, he said. He also hopes to have programming available down the road so people can watch HLN live on tablets and other devices.
The network has cut news staff significantly and recently nixed "Showbiz Tonight." It will begin airing a syndicated TV show called "RightThisMinute," which seeks out the most captivating web videos of the day and the stories behind them "often before going viral," HLN said in its press release. The program begins tonight at 10 p.m.
Shows in the fields of animation, reality, gaming and clip compilations will premiere throughout the year, many from outside production companies. Still, Hecht said the network will remain primarily news and information with most of its programming still coming out of Atlanta.
For now, several existing shows will remain but will utilize social media even more than they already do: Morning Express with Robin Meade (6 a.m.-12 noon, ET), News Now (12 noon -5 p.m., ET); Jane Velez-Mitchell (7-8 p.m. ET); Nancy Grace (8-9 p.m., ET) and Dr. Drew On Call (9-10 p.m., ET).
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