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Court TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Court TV | |
 |
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| Type | Cable television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | United States |
| Founder | Steven Brill |
| Slogan | "The Whole Truth," Daytime; "Seriously Entertaining," Primetime |
| Owner | Court TV Networks (a subsidiary of TBS Networks, owned by Time Warner) |
| Key people | Marc Juris (General Manager) Marlene Dann (Executive Vice President) |
| Launch date | July 1, 1991 |
- For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada
The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. On May 15, 2006, it was announced that Time Warner bought Liberty Media's 50% ownership in the channel, making Time Warner (within its TBS Networks division) the sole owner of Court TV.[1]
On March 13, 2007, Time Warner announced that Court TV will be relaunched as truTV as of January 1, 2008, and will revamp its daytime trial coverage and add in prime several new reality series (or, as the network prefers to call them, "real-life" or "actuality" series). One such series, "Sky Racers," focuses on news helicopter pilots in Los Angeles. It will center on Desiree Horton, one of only a few female news pilots, taking viewers "inside the cockpit" with her.
Daytime programming will be redone and will lead into a 3-5 p.m. ET/PT block with talk shows hosted by Star Jones and a soon to be named anchor. Nancy Grace's Closing Arguments, which was originally scheduled to shrink to 1 hour and air at 3 p.m. (before Jones' program), will no longer air as Grace left the network in June 2007.[2] Trial coverage will move to the network's broadband website during the afternoon.[3]
Steve Koonin, President of Turner Entertainment Networks, said the goal is to find a new name that suggests a broader lineup of shows. He said that the new target audience of the network is viewers known internally as "real engagers". They are typically male and young, 18 to 49 years old. Koonin believes that this audience wants programs that focus on real people and real situations.
On October 29, 2007, Court TV unveiled truTV's official logo, the channel's tagline - "Not Reality. Actuality." According to an announcement, the initial branding campaign began on November 1, 2007, with truTV officially launching as planned on January 1, 2008 and since late November 2007 they started alternating the Court TV and new truTV logos on screen and since December 18, 2007 they have started using the truTV logo only most likely to mark 2 weeks.[4]
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Court TV was founded in 1991 as an all news joint venture between Time Warner, Liberty Media, and NBC. Originally, the channel aired only actual courtroom trials, which included the proceedings along with analysis by anchors. In 1995, viewership increased when they aired the O.J. Simpson murder case. In 1997, founder Steven Brill left Court TV. By 1998, NBC sold their share to Time Warner, resulting in a 50/50 partnership between Time Warner and Liberty Media. That same year, or a year before, Discovery Communications, owner of Discovery Channel, made and dropped a bid for Court TV, also the channel began carrying original and acquired shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and Forensic Files.
In 2001, Court TV celebrated its 10th anniversary while Time Warner merged with AOL. In 2002, Time Warner acquired AT&T's stake in Time Warner Entertainment (which AT&T acquired in 2000), resulting again 50/50 ownership with Liberty Media. In 2003, Viacom wanted to buy Court TV for MTV Networks, but Time Warner and Liberty Media declined to let them buy it. In 2004, Court TV made a new look and turned itself into two separate divisions: Court TV News and Court TV Primetime, which bills itself as "Seriously Entertaining." On May 15, 2006, Time Warner bought the remainder of Liberty Media's shares in the channel for $735 million. Court TV is now worth nearly $1.5 billion, mostly due to its new programming and the increasing popularity of the network.
To begin 2007, retransmission consent issues forced Court TV off Dish Network systems.[5] Court TV returned to Dish Network in its former channel position on February 9, 2007.[6]
Court TV is now available in more than 86 million homes. Its programming includes movies (both original and off-network), news (with editorial content), and simulcasts of trials which often involve high-profile criminal cases. In 2006, the network was the 25th-most-popular ad-supported cable network among all viewers.
Trivia: During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Karl Rove identified court TV as having such a heavily Democratic demographic that he refused to spend any Republican advertising dollars on the channel. (Source: The Architect: Karl Rove and the Dream of Absolute Power, by James Moore and Wayne Slater)
CourtTV News provides live coverage of trials, legal news, and details of highly-publicized crimes during their news programming hours from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Their coverage takes viewers into the courtrooms and shares analyses from anchors and guests to help viewers understand the legal proceedings.
- Bloom & Politan: Open Court with Lisa Bloom and Vinnie Politan
- Best Defense with Jami Floyd
- Banfield & Ford: Courtside with Ashleigh Banfield and Jack Ford
- Ashleigh Banfield
- Lisa Bloom
- Jean Casarez
- Jami Floyd
- Jack Ford
- Fred Graham
- Eddie Hayes
- Beth Karas
- Rikki Klieman
- Ron Kuby
- Vinnie Politan
- Star Jones Reynolds
- Adaora Udoji
Court TV also provides primetime programs that pertain to criminal stories. The programs include dramas, movies, documentaries, and television series.
It was announced on July 11, 2007 that Court TV will rename itself truTV to better reflect the network beginning in January 1, 2008 also launching in HD.[7]
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- The Exonerated
- Chasing Freedom
- The Interrogation of Michael Crowe
- Guilt by Association
When Time Warner acquired the remaining 50% of Court TV Networks from Liberty Media for its TBS Networks unit, many of the Court TV staff were laid off during the transition to the TBS Networks Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
The buyout of Court TV marks Time Warner's first instance of buying a TV network, rather than selling one, other than the acquisition of TBS Networks in 1996. In 2003, former half sister Comedy Central was sold to Viacom for its MTV Networks unit. In 2006, the same year Time Warner bought Court TV, Time Warner's Turner South, (now SportSouth) was sold to News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group.
In addition to their own website, Court TV also operates The Smoking Gun, a website that focuses on legal items often pertaining to famous people, such as mug shots and other public documents. Court TV also owns the website Crime Library, which provides detailed information about infamous crimes and how they were solved. Court TV Extra, a broadband video site, airs live trials online and keeps an archive of highlights.
| Court TV Radio | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area | Contiguous United States & Canada |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Sirius Channel 110 |
| First air date | February 3, 2003 |
| Format | Trials and legal programming |
| Owner | TBS Networks (Time Warner) |
| Website | www.sirius.com/CourtTV |
On February 3, 2003, Court TV Plus debuted on Sirius Satellite Radio, featuring audio from Court TV programs. Originally on Channel 134, it was moved in September 2005 and now airs on Channel 110.
- ^ Time Warner buys remaining part of Court TV, USA Today, May 15, 2006
- ^ Grace Leaves Court TV: Statement, MediaBistro.com, May 8, 2007
- ^ Court TV to Ditch Name, Change Programming in Rebrand, Broadcasting & Cable, March 13, 2007
- ^ http://www.trutv.com
- ^ Turner Networks Pulls Court TV From DISH Network, DISH Network, January 1, 2007
- ^ Court TV Back on Dish Network, Broadcasting & Cable, February 9, 2007
- ^ It's tru! Court TV is changing its name, MSNBC.com, July 11, 2007
- ^ Saturday Night Solution
- Official website
- Court TV Radio on Sirius
- "Gavel to Gavel (to Gavel to Gavel) Coverage," by Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times, July 8, 2007
