What was it like launching CNN Headlines from the ground up, and what did that take?
We started fiddling around with the idea because it’s been curated clips for quite some time. The concept was first tossed around maybe about a year and a half before we went into activation, where we started hiring. I want to say that once we got the green light to get going, within a matter of three months, we were in place and live on the air. The first show was July 4th; we did our soft launch of morning shows, and then we added the 5 p.m. show later in August, which is when our anniversary truly is.
One year on, what has been the response to CNN Headlines?
Just walking around the building, you have so many CNN employees who are happy to have a place like CNN Headlines to get their news. I think that’s a testament to what’s happening outside as well, because from what we’ve seen, we know from the moment we started, the audience, in terms of people who spend time watching, is up +179%, which is crazy and exciting. Even our unique viewers are up +58%. We have lots of folks interacting with [anchor Brad Smith] from all over the world, because we started the experiment of putting CNN Headlines at 5 a.m. exclusively on CNN Linear. He’s getting a lot of feedback from international viewers who enjoy watching that show.
What news event has defined CNN Headlines in its first year?
I don’t know that there would be one, because if you think about it, we’re never going to be a place where we’re just going to enroll in all-in-all coverage. But I will tell you that when Charlie Kirk was murdered, we were live and on the air, not in the same way that CNN was, but in our own way. We also were able to do our own coverage of the State of the Union, and the most fun for me was that we got to do live coverage of the [New York Knicks] ticker parade, which was incredible.
CNN is playing catch-up with the launch of FAST and its digital products. What advantages do you see from starting from this position?
