CNN Press Release - Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and Best-Selling Financial Expert Clark Howard and CNN Journalist Isha Sesay Join New Show Airing 5-7 p.m. ET

NEW YORK, NY, May 22, 2012—HLN launches a new destination for news and information with Evening Express, hosted by Ryan Smith, beginning Monday, June 4. This new addition to HLN’s schedule will air weeknights, 5-7 p.m. ET, and feature HLN’s popular personal finance expert Clark Howard, and CNN’s Isha Sesay, it was announced by Scot Safon, Executive Vice President and General Manager, HLN. Evening Express will be based at the network’s global headquarters in Atlanta.

“HLN is excited to offer our viewers an evening news program that centers on the news and information they’ll discuss around the dinner table,” said Safon. “The format and tone of Evening Express was inspired by our hit show Morning Express with Robin Meade. Viewers tell us all the time that they love how Robin and the Morning Express team start their day on HLN, and now Ryan, Clark and Isha will be welcoming them home in the evening.”

Evening Express will provide an energetic, inspirational and solutions-oriented look at the day’s news, accompanied by deeper discussions and reporting on stories and issues that resonate in the American household, including parenting, education, health, personal finance and relationships.

Evening Express will also have a deep a social footprint, engaging with viewers and users on all platforms.  In tandem with its June 4 launch, the show’s digital extensions will include Facebook (Facebook.com/EveningExpressHLN), Twitter (@EveningExp) and a dedicated blog on HLN’s recently launched web site, HLNtv.com (HLNtv.com/EveningExpress) that will feature distinctive angles on the stories of the day. Evening Express hosts can also be followed at @ryansmithtv, @IshaSesayCNN and @ClarkHoward.

Smith, a familiar HLN on-air presence in 2011 as a result of his reporting during the Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray trials, was a member of the Morning Express team and host of programming during InSession on truTV. A sports and entertainment lawyer with a degree from Columbia Law School, Smith covers a wide variety of news stories and has a personal interest in health and wellness issues.

Howard is one of HLN’s most popular personalities, with a wildly successful nationally syndicated radio program and personal finance website in addition to his regular appearances on HLN weekends and Morning Express with Robin Meade. In 2011, his book, “Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times,” spent 21 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, his third to make that list. With the launch of Evening Express, the personal finance guru will now bring his expert advice to viewers later in the day, answering specific consumer questions and providing information that is applicable and actionable to a wide spectrum of the audience.

Sesay is well known to CNN audiences for her work as an anchor for CNN International, hosting the daily news program CNN NewsCenter and weekly program BackStory, and serving as the nightly “360 Bulletin” correspondent on Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition, she files reports for African Voices and Inside Africa, CNN International’s award-winning, weekly program dedicated to providing viewers with an inside look of Africa.On HLN’s Evening Express, she will bring her strong reporting skills and a point of view informed by her experience covering news stories from across the globe.

CNN veteran Angie Massie is the Executive Producer of Evening Express. Katherine Green is Senior Vice President and Managing Editor, HLN.  Steve Rosenberg is Director of Dayside Programming, HLN.

About HLN

HLN is the national television network that focuses on the “must-see, must-share” stories of the day.  Drawing upon the network’s deep bench of talent, including Robin Meade, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Nancy Grace, and Dr. Drew Pinsky, HLN dissects and demystifies the news stories and newsmakers people are talking about.

HLNtv.com, the network’s new digital platform, is the online destination for users to go deeper into the top stories driving the conversation and generating the national buzz.

HLN is a CNN Worldwide network reaching more than 100 million households in the U.S. CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information.

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CNN International’s rejigged European prime time schedule kicked off on Monday with the return of Christiane Amanpour fronting her namesake program and the debut of Isha Sesay’s CNN NewsCenter.

Hamid Karzai was Amanpour’s first guest. The Afghan President was also the first guest when Amanpour. first launched in 2009. Amanpour also managed to secure the first interview with new World Bank president Dr. Jim Yong Kim. Other guests appearing on the program this week include U.S. Ambassador to the U.N, Susan Rice and Israel’s Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak.

Amanpour. airs live weekdays at 1900 GMT with several replays throughout the following day. A scoped aircheck of the first program is in the video below.




CNN NewsCenter is a new 30 minute daily program that is described by CNN as “the definitive destination for an intelligent, complete global picture of the day's news.”

Hosted by Isha Sesay from the CNN Domestic newsroom, the program airs live at 1930 GMT weekdays. Early reaction on our forum was mixed, but leaning towards positive on first viewing:

ginnyfan: "Like everything so far, opening is like a white lighter version of WR/W1 style, much better. Also great they broadcast from newsroom."

Axl0706: "Don't like the tacky music but everything else seems to be good! The white/black/red-color combination they are using is very pleasant. If they keep focussing on hard news every day, I think it will be a success."

Newser: "… it's IDesk meeting CNN Newsroom which could be called 'CNN Isha is in the Center' and would be a great fit for an international version of HLN if it existed."

excel99: " ... It's better than PMT in the slot, and it's better than Backstory full of filler. It is also only day 1. Things could change over time. But in terms of substance I was disappointed - that slot needs something like the 'original W1'. The news, in full, not with loads of analysis or features, but not just headlines. Short concise reports on all the issues of the day. If CNNi have forgotten, go and watch a 30 minute AJE bulletin ..."

Gman: "Like the show, like the concept but not the gimmicks. Is the whole walking into the newsroom thing at the beginning going to be used every episode or was it just for the premiere? Graphics and music so much better than WR (in my humble opinion...). I've always liked Isha as a host of pure news programs - it's much more her style ..."

A scoped aircheck of the debut edition is in the video below.

While all the focus has been on Christiane Amanpour's return to CNN International next week, a new weekday news show to be fronted by Isha Sesay is also set to make its debut on Monday.

Although not officially announced by CNN (at the time of this post) details of the new show have appeared in several online schedules including the CNN Asia Pacific website. The new program is scheduled for the timeslot marked for Isha Sesay in a press release for the return of Amanpour. back in February.

From CNNAsiaPacific.com, the description of the new news program reveals:

CNN NewsCenter is the definitive destination for an intelligent, complete global picture of the day's news. Over the course of 30 minutes, we'll take you beyond the headlines and to the heart of every story, with the most compelling video and sound feeding in from around the world. But we'll also shine the spotlight on other stories, some of which are under the radar, but which we believe are just as important.

In the CNN NewsCenter you'll hear from underrepresented voices, and from the people at the center of the story. And we'll only bring in our reporters and analysts when they can provide the very latest new information or can add a frontline perspective that is crucial to understanding the story. Smart, dynamic and passionate, CNN NewsCenter won't just keep you informed, we'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

Back|Story, the program Isha Sesay currently hosts is expected to be rolled back to a weekend show when a rejigged prime time schedule for Europe is introduced next week.