When Robin Meade first joined the CNN family in 2001, she couldn’t have imagined just how difficult her first day would be. Meade started with HLN’s predecessor, CNN Headline News, on September 11, 2001, but she immediately rose to the challenge, showcasing her reporting skills, as well as her compassion. Just two months later, she was promoted to morning show anchor. As CNN Headline News transformed into HLN, so did Meade’s show, becoming “Robin & Company” in 2005, then “Morning Express with Robin Meade” in 2007. She became an HLN staple, and when the network shifted focus to true crime in 2018, it stopped all live news programming, except for Meade’s five-hour morning block. In fact, she was such a fan favorite that, in 2021, HLN invested in a big marketing campaign to mark Meade’s 20 years on the air. “She’s so darn good,” CNN executive vice president Ken Jautz told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She’s a burst of energy every morning and she can connect with viewers like nobody else.”
Unfortunately, by December 2022, that was no longer enough. The Los Angeles Times confirmed CNN was pulling the plug on “Morning Express” and ending all live programming on HLN to save money. Just a few days later, Meade signed off the air, thanking her team and all of the viewers. “Waking up with you has been the joy of my life,” she wrote on Instagram. “You are my morning sunshine.”
