Another popular stop along The CNN Studio Tour is Headline News. Having debuted in 1982, this 30 minute version of CNN News lives up to its motto, "a whole day's news every half hour." Headline News is a CNN Network and therefore has access to all CNN footage and news reports, but its product is distinctive. CNN provides in-depth coverage of the news as well as a variety of business, sports, features and talk show programming. Headline News provides a very brief summary of the latest news in 48 half-hour segments per day

The Headline News format allows the viewer to tune in at any time of the day and, in just 30 minutes, receive the top national and international stories and informative feature reports. Among the features specific to Headlines News are "Dollars and Sense" personal finance reports at 15 minutes past each hour, sports at 21 minutes and lifestyle reports at 24 minutes past each hour. In addition, the program provides a stock-price "crawl" weekdays between 9:30am and 5:30pm (ET), listing the latest stock market quotes and a sport score ticker during weekend and evening hours. Headline News Local Edition affords cable operators with slots throughout the day to insert five minutes of local news into the Headline News format.

In the middle of the newsroom floor of Headline there are two large S-shaped desks. These are for producers, writers and copy editors. At the supervising producer's desk, all final decisions are made on the content of the newscasts, such as what should be included, what angle each story should take, and how each story should be presented. Each supervising producer oversees all the news broadcasts on the entire shift.

Each person in all the CNN Networks uses a BASYS computer terminal and has a TV monitor nearby to keep an eye on incoming video and news reports. The BASYS terminals are connected to CNN's mainframe. Network personnel use the computers to keep current on developing stories, to scan the news wire services, to do background research, and to communicate with fellow employees.

A few feet in front of the supervising producer's desk is the anchor desk. Facing the news anchors are several cameras, each broadcasting a different angle of the desk and the newsroom in the background. Producers and directors are sitting in a nearby control room, orchestrating the broadcast. All anchors are linked to the control room by IFB (Interruptable Feedback). This is an ear-piece that allows the director or producer in the control room to communicate with the anchor throughout the program, at times actually informing them of breaking news events. During a live broadcast, anchors may be receiving information in their ear at the same time they are delivering the news.