Once Glenn Beck Premieres, Will CNN & HLN Still Be “Complementary?”

Last week, TVNewser asked: “Have the suits at Headline News decided on a new schedule for Headline Prime? What time slot is Glenn Beck taking? How will it effect Showbiz Tonight?”

The answer isn’t certain yet, but execs must be looking at several possibilities. Beck at 7? Beck at 9? How about both? “I’m hearing they have Glenn Beck sked’d for 7p & 9p…with Nancy Grace at 8p & 10p,” one e-mailer says. “That leaves Showbiz with an hour on tape at 11p….but for how long?”

That’s just one of the options under consideration. Keep this in mind:

In January 2005, when Jim Walton announced Headline Prime, he said CNN and HLN would “be complementary.” Walton said: “If there is a talk show on Headline News, there will be newscasts on CNN.”

Will CNN and HLN still complement eachother once the new schedule is confirmed? And if not, isn’t that an admission that talk shows are favored over newscasts?

> Also: Should we read anything into Sunday’s half-hour special edition of Showbiz Tonight? A.J. Hammer hosted an Oscar edition of the show from 5:30 to 6pm on HLN.