• by Fern Siegel , May 11, 2009

CNN, HLN and Essence Communications are partners in the new "What Matters" series, a weekly news segment focused on issues that are relevant to the African-American community.

The segments, extensions of news and features that run in Essence magazine, are hosted on CNN by Tony Harris and Don Lemon. Other CNN contributors include Roland Martin, Fredricka Whitfield and T.J. Holmes. On HLN, the segments are hosted on by anchor Richelle Carey. The show debuted May 8.

"What Matters" will feature various topics, covering lifestyle, health, finance and entertainment. The show airs Friday at noon on CNN. On HLN, it is scheduled during the 6 p.m. hour on the Friday-Sunday editions of "Prime News."

The genesis for "What Matters" is the "Our News" section in Essence.

"What Matters" is sponsored by McDonald's, which is also the presenting sponsor of CNN's "Black in America 2," the sequel series to last year's "Black in America" initiative.

The show's coverage is also available online at CNN.com and Cnn.comLive, the Internet's video news service, starting May 15. In addition, Essence.com offers users related articles, commentary, blog discussions and the chance to view the "What Matters" segments.

Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S., said in a statement: "The power of our two brands promises to continue to enhance the dialogue about issues important to our collective audiences."