HLN Is Advertising Itself As The Cool Mom Of Cable Television
Awkwardly.
On Monday, HLN announced a rebranding of the network, something it said would make it "the first TV network for the social media generation."
The emphasis on "social" and "trendy" seems ... a bit over the top. And the first thing we thought, as, evidently, did Politico's Dylan Byers, is that there's a bit of a "cool mom" feel to it. From the press release (emphasis added):
HLN will reformat and rebrand in 2014 to become the first TV network for the social media generation (millennials and the millennial-minded), it was announced by Albie Hecht, executive vice president and general manager, HLN.
Taking a cue from today's connected and wildly social generation, HLN will curate the news from across all platforms. Headlines will be ripped from the most "plugged-in" sites and blogs, and HLN will make it its mission to share the trending news, viral events and stories that have viewers most obsessed, plus discover emerging social stars.
"While others report on the conversation, HLN will be a part of it," said @AlbieHechtHLN [Ed. note: @AlbieHechtHLN has tweeted only once]. "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."
BuzzFeed's Peter Lauria has a longer look at what HLN wants to become - which, incidentally, is more "BuzzFeed-y." HLN is attempting a full rebrand, and Hecht said he's treating it like a start-up, but more and more "old media" organizations are starting to employ the methods of sites like Upworthy and Viral Nova to try to replicate their success.
Hecht is a veteran of Spike TV and Nickelodeon. He was tapped by new CNN President Jeff Zucker last September to lead a transformation of the network.