THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 163 lines
ON ABC THE other night, Ted Koppel came within a whisker of apologizing for dishing out another ``Nightline'' segment about the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles. In nine of the first 39 ``Nightline'' shows this year, the subject was that case, in which Simpson is accused of taking the lives of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and young Ron Goldman.
And that was before that most reluctant witness, Rosa Lopez, arrived in the courtroom.
Koppel pointed out that other things are happening in the world. He suggested ``Nightline'' should spend more time on those events. But the Simpson trial, said Koppel, is so fascinating, so compelling, so intriguing that it begs to be viewed and reviewed on ``Nightline.''
Stories about shellings in the Chechnya war can wait.
So can coverage of the United Nations' patrols being ambushed in Somalia.
Judge Lance Ito in Los Angeles last week threatened to slap a contempt citation on one of the prosecutors.
What All-American couch potato didn't want to see that?
Over to you, Ted.
It didn't take long for viewers to discover that the Simpson trial is as watchable as any bodice-ripping network miniseries.
Three cable channels - CNN, E! Entertainment Television and Court TV - carry the proceedings live. Virginia Beach UHF station WVBT (Channel 43), which is available to Cox Cable subscribers, airs the trial uninterrupted by commercials or commentary, thanks to a feed from the Warners Brothers network.
If something as trivial as your job or schooling prevents you from tuning in for live coverage, which generally begins around noon Norfolk time, it's easy to catch up. Court TV zooms in on the Simpson trial nightly at 8 on ``Prime Time Justice.''
CNN reviews the day's courtroom proceedings nightly at 11:30, and lately, CNBC has scheduled a recap at the same hour with Paul Moyer of KNBC in Los Angeles anchoring the coverage. And solid, crisp coverage it is, too.
On CNBC the other night, reporter Phil Shuman described the Simpson jurors as 12 stone faces who never let their feelings show. They listen intently to all testimony, take notes and do not allow their attention to stray.
``They're focused,'' said the CNBC reporter.
Also on CNBC, Geraldo Rivera on ``Rivera Live'' nightly at 9 p.m. has been virtually nothing but Simpson trial coverage in recent weeks. The show's ratings are the highest ever. Even the usually fluffy syndicated entertainment magazine shows, ``Entertainment Tonight'' and ``Extra,'' have latched on to the Simpson trial coverage.
If America is hooked on the Simpson trial, it's no wonder, said psychologist Meg Maas on the syndicated show ``Last Call'' the other night. The Simpson trial is unfolding like a soap opera. If there is anything Americans love, it is a soap opera, she said.
Andy Friendly, an executive at CNBC, said ratings for the Simpson trial have far from peaked. ``When closing arguments are presented, you'll see triple the numbers we have now,'' said Friendly.
CNN's coverage of the Simpson trial has leaped into cyberspace. If you have a personal computer, and subscribe to CompuServe, you can keep up by way of the O.J. Simpson Forum. It's all there at your fingertips, including the trial transcripts.
In Hampton Roads, you can ``hear'' the TV coverage on WVAB (1550), the Virginia Beach radio station that broadcasts CNN's ``Headline News'' without the pictures. There are O.J. updates at the top of the hour.
When it's a slow day for Dan Rather, Connie Chung, Tom Brokaw or Peter Jennings on the networks' nightly news shows, you can bet that the Simpson trial will lead off the newscast. And does a week ever go by without Simpson being mentioned on the networks' prime time newsmagazines?
``Hard Copy,'' ``A Current Affair'' and ``American Journal'' have done dozens of stories on the principals in the Simpson saga. They've made Brian ``Kato'' Kaelin a household name.
``The intense coverage reflects the public's fascination with this case,'' said Donald H. Smith, a professor at Old Dominion who teaches criminology.
Why such a fascination?
``Because the viewers know O.J. as a person or at least they think they do. They see the trial as a wonderful soap opera played out on television every day. They can tune in almost any time of the day, and there it is,'' said Smith. ``It's also an excellent opportunity for the American public to learn all sorts of things about the criminal justice system.''
The cable coverage:
Cable News Network (CNN).
No fancy stuff here. Jim Moret, a serious sort with a law degree from Southwestern U. who was out of place as co-host of the glitzy ``Showbiz Today,'' sets the perfect tone on CNN as he presides over no-nonsense coverage by about 70 CNN staffers in Los Angeles.
He's dead serious and never tries to get cute when he brings in experts. He keeps his commentary brief and to the point. If he thinks something hot is happening in the courtroom, he'll tell the folks in the control room to stay with the trial and bump the next commercial. He's the steady-as-you-go captain of the CNN ship.
More often than not, the expert who chats with Moret is Greta Van Susteren, a professor at the Georgetown Law Center. She's quick to praise, quick to criticize. She's cool.
Moret: ``Does this seem like a proper line of questions?''
Van Susteren: ``No. He shouldn't be made to testify to that.''
Van Susteren also signs on with CompuServe once a week to field questions from PC users.
Of the three cable networks that carry the trial live, CNN does the most to reduce the staleness of the one-camera coverage ordered by Ito. CNN producers break the screen up into boxes to show the courtroom at the same time Moret and the commentators are pictured. CNN also adds an ``Update'' feature, which is a line or two of type or a ``crawl'' at the bottom of the screen telling viewers at a glance exactly what is happening at that moment.
The trial coverage has increased CNN's daytime ratings sevenfold according to the latest Nielsens.
Court TV
A class act with Fred Graham, formerly of CBS News, and Gregg Jarrett handling most of the anchor duties. Both are attorneys.
Court TV installed Jarrett on a set outside the courtroom with a sea of satellite dishes in the background. That's a nice touch because it helps lift the claustrophobia of a long day in the courtroom.
The channel's founder, Steve Brill, told Broadcasting and Cable magazine that his people are committed to a ``dignified, serious and accurate way to convey this story.'' Court TV succeeds on all counts. It has trial lawyers offering expert testimony that the average 12-year-old can understand. Reporters Kristin Jeannette-Myers, Dan Abrams and Terry Moran snoop for tidbits when the trial is in recess.
What kind of tidbits? Chief Prosecutor Marcia Clark's secret passion is lifting weights. ``She can be a lovely, charming woman and a big slugger at the same time,'' said one of Court TV's observers.
Prediction: Long after the Simpson trial is over, viewers will be hooked on Court TV, now that they have sampled live trial coverage and other Court TV features such as ``Lock & Key'' and ``Instant Justice.''
E! Entertainment Television
What ever possessed the people at E! to hire the superficial Kathleen Sullivan to host the channel's coverage? Will somebody please remind her that she is presiding over coverage of a murder trial? That she is not hosting the Rose Bowl parade? When she's on camera, she's practically giggly.
She asks guests if they have fashion tips for prosecutor Clark.
She's flashes faxes from viewers with O.J. cartoons on them.
It's the only trial coverage in which gossip columnists, including Mike Walker of the National Enquirer, take part. When an author who writes about celebrities was on with her the other day, Sullivan asked this profound question: Is Hollywood still buzzing about this trial?
If the buzz had ended, would E! still be going with gavel-to-gavel coverage? The other night, Sullivan talked about her salary. Shut her up, somebody!
The only thing worse than E! at the O.J. Simpson trial would be Beavis and Butt-Head on press row in Ito's courtroom .
While Court TV is pulling in law professor Arthur Miller for commentary, E! is hanging out at the courthouse with the people who draw lots daily for seven seats in Ito's courtroom. Linda Johnson-Phillips said she's down at the courthouse every morning at 6:45 to take part in the drawing.
``It's a historic, intriguing bit of history. I want to sit in that courtroom and feel connected. I want to see the jury's faces,'' she said.
And she has. Johnson-Phillips won the drawing several times. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Geraldo Rivera (CNBC)
Fred Graham (Court TV)
Jim Moret (CNN)
Kathleen Sullivan (E!)
Photo
Gregg Jarrett broadcasts from a set outside the courtroom of Court
TV.
by CNB