If this is the end for HLN, I want to be one of the first to send along a hearty thank you for everything you have done in covering not only Elizabeth, Susan, Jen, and others--but in large part to covering all things Robin Meade.
There are no words to express how popular she has been since her first day (ironically it started on 9/11, which is hard to believe since leaving a weekend morning gig at NBC5 Chicago.)
For me, I go further back when Headline News was the show of record. They billed themselves with the tagline "Around The World Every 30 Minutes".
For those who might have forgotten, it all began as CNN2 (1982), then became the name everyone knows as Headline News (1982–1997), then rebranded again as CNN Headline News (1997–2007), and finally with HLN: Headline News (2007–2008). Then those stupid, dumb, and endless (fill in your favorite cuss words) courtroom sessions and crime related programming took over the rest of the time when Robin wasn't on.
Say it with me: D--- you, Forensic Files.
I recall seeing names like Lynne Russell, Bob Losure, Judy Fortin, Bobbie Batissta (deceased), Chuck Roberts (the longest serving anchor), and the always Marv Albert sounding like voice of Van Earl Wright closing each half hour with "CNN Headliiiiiiiiiiiiiiine Sports."
There was also the "Hollywood Minute", was often squeezed in following "Headline Sports".
In the early years, there was a short two-minute recap of the hour's top stories, labeled simply as "CNN Headlines" that would follow sports.
I thought of this as lightning quick summaries for the working people, or during the time for the younger crowd while gearing up for dinner following a lengthy block doing homework while in high school.
There was that handy "Headline News Wheel" with the important national and world news at the top and bottom of each hour 15 after the hour was business and personal finance reports ("Dollars and Sense") 20 after was my favorite segment, "Headline Sports" 25 after then featured lifestyle and entertainment reports The bottom of the hour would then recycle the same format as the previous half hour.
The original purpose of the 25 and 55 after chunk was to allow local cable systems the option of pre-empting that particular segment with what was called a local headline "capsule" from a certain associated regional cable news channel or a local television station (in my area, it did not feature Headline News until it arrived two years after the original launch in 1982.)
But thanks to the Web and to Twitter, it was fun and refreshing to see that ray of "Morning Sunshine" (the title of her book, just FYI)--the always honest, funny, and reliable presence of one Robin Meade.
Sure hope she finds some other job that will make her final working years fulfilling and hoping to forge a path similar to that of Lynn Smith, who runs her own media marketing company teaching young professionals on how to get into the cutthroat media industry.
I guess this is the end. So long, HLN and its' other manifestations. It sure was fun while it lasted.
Matt, dedicated former Headline News watcher on a frequent basis from 1984 to 1995
P.S. Final question then for HSF--who will be next on your list to cap?
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