HLN’s “News and Views” Bringing Best Ratings Of All Time

Jautz tells us the network is planning a big push in the last couple months of the year. It will be one of the “biggest off channel marketing campaigns we’ve ever had for HLN.” It will include a “series of billboards, spot cable ads, things of that nature, that will be pegged to the Joy launch but also pegged to the prime time line-up, and I think that will help too.”

Since HLN switched over from its previous name, “CNN Headline News,” at the end of last year, it has pushed hard to streamline programming to fit its “news and views” slogan. That includes adding Jane Velez-Mitchell‘s show at 7pmET – very similar to Grace’s – and of course, keeping Grace at 8 and 10pm. “Nancy is doing phenomenally well,” said Jautz. “And I think she’ll continue to. There’s something unique about her.”

While HLN and CNN have very different programming, it shouldn’t be lost that the success of HLN is happening at a time when CNN is struggling. It is impossible to avoid comparing the two cable networks that make up CNN Worldwide, and the trends are glaring. And Jautz tells us he’s not content to stick with the current success:

Frankly we’re triple the audience that we had a few years ago, which is one of the fastest growing prime time audiences in all of ad-supported cable. The answer is I want to keep evolving tthe network. I want to keep further differentiating the network from CNN. And I intend to do that. Does that mean I foresee some other change in prime time? Not at all – we just made a big change in prime time. But does that mean I think the network is always going to stay this way? No, I’ll keep looking for ways to improve.

It’s very likely the line-up will stay the same through the end of 2009 – and it sounds like it will end up being a record-breaking year for HLN.

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