HLN gets new logo

Warner Bros. Discovery’s HLN network has a new logo.

A look back at the history of HLN’s branding, logos

The new logo continues to spell out the letters “H-L-N,” the official name of the network since 2008 when it abandoned its former name of “Headline News.”

“We recently refreshed it since the last time it had been updated was years ago,” a HLN spokesperson told NewscastStudio.

The previous logo had been in use since 2017, following multiple versions prior to that.

It features these letters in a connected outlined format, with the bold strokes typically shown with a subtle gradient. 

The logo has been updated in some places, but the old logo continues to appear during some programming, including in the bug. 

The logo design takes advantage of the plentiful verticals in the characters so that the right side of the “H” is the same as the left side of the “L.” The lower right “leg” of the “L” forms part of the left vertical of the “N.”

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In some ways, this design ends up being a nod to the famous interconnected CNN logo, at least in a conceptual sense. 

Along with the new logo, the network is sporting a new tagline: “We play favorites.” The slogan appears to be a play on two of the possible definitions of the phrase “playing favorites”: Either showing preferential treatment or the act of physically playing popular programs (as in hitting the proverbial play button).

In a sense, when read as the former definition, the tagline is exactly the opposite of what a news-focused network should be marketing itself as. 

The future of HLN isn’t exactly clear.

It continues to air a schedule devoted, with the exception of a “CNN This Morning” simulcast, to true crime, which is a popular genre that’s also typically fairly cost-effective to produce. That said, since becoming part of the WBD family, the conglomerate now has two true crime-focused properties, the other being Investigation Discovery or ID.

Industry watchers say WBD may be looking to redefine HLN and its programming. 

When the network switched the three-letter name, it was meant to suggest a combination of the words “Headline” and “News” and is pronounced one letter at a time.

The HLN name continued to be used as the channel continued to bounce from strategy to strategy, including a short-lived social media “vibe” launched in early 2015 and shed later that same year.

Using the more generic name of “HLN” came in handy when the network shifted to showing a true-crime-focused lineup during much of the day, with only select blocks featuring live news programming.

By 2022, all live news except “Morning Express” was canceled and in 2023, then-CNN CEO Chris Licht announced that show would be canceled and anchor Robin Meade would depart. HLN switched to carrying a simulcast of the newly-launched “CNN This Morning” in order to fulfill obligations to pay TV providers that it provide news programming on its schedule.

HLN was also previously known as “CNN Headline News” and “CNN2,” the latter for a brief time following its 1982 launch.

The channel’s original concept was to offer a “news wheel” format that focused on offering coverage of the major stories of the day. As originally envisioned, its format resembled a straightforward newscast with faster pacing, often drawing on the resources of CNN correspondents and the network’s nationwide affiliate network. It was designed to complement the primary CNN feed, especially when that network was airing single-topic shows such as “Larry King Live” or “Moneyline.” 

In the earlier days, Headline News typically didn’t include panel discussions or analysis. The format also didn’t rely on “appointment viewing” in those days. While some Headline News anchors became well-known, they typically didn’t become household names like some CNN hosts. An earlier hallmark of the network’s strategy was that it was designed to only be watched in short bursts and each 30-minute block typically contained much of the same content with minor modifications. 

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Local cable operators could also opt-out of carrying a lifestyle segment in favor of a local news update cut-in. 

Headline News also relied on “jukebox” technology to allow it take segments that already aired and re-air them in a different order — sometimes mixed with new updates as needed — later on.