the new model

Court TV Lays Off Half Its "Online Group"

We always hear about layoffs in production departments, or foreign bureaus, or "a little bit of everywhere," in the case of MTV—but it's rare these days that you get to see an outfit chop up its web staff. But that's what Court TV is doing right this second—with fellow Time Warner company CNN.com going big on plans for CNN.com/crime, Court TV (soon to be called truTV) no longer needs 16 of the staffers at their website. 15 will remain. more »

7:35 PM ON TUE NOV 13 2007
BY CHOIRE
1,360 views 21 comments

Latest by jadednyer: TruTV = New Coke more »

Court TV rebrands, changing its name to TruTV, presumably because they already had the letters "U," "R," and "T" lying around. [AdAge]

3 comments

remainders

Remainders: Larry Birkhead Is Our Daddy Too

  • When is Jason Pomeranc's new hotel opening? No one really knows! [HotelChatter]
  • A new Axe commercial is rather grossly incestuous. [HSI via Adrants]
  • Court TV cancels the Catherine Crier Show because the network is trying to appeal to "'Real Engagers,' who like action-based reality shows." [B&C;]
  • An update on the Solango v. Dealbreaker hedge fund dust-up. [Gary Weiss]
    • more »

    10:57 PM ON TUE APR 10 2007
    BY DOREE
    1,048 views 2 comments

    court tv

    Court TV Will Make You Forget About That Whole "Parco P.I." Thing

    Broadcasting & Cable says Court TV is "rebranding" and changing its name in an attempt to woo a different "psychographic," one that is full of dudes who like watch reality-based action shows. No word yet on the new name, but we understand that the top four contenders are The 24-Hour Larry Seidlin Channel, America's Violentest Interrogations Network, Parent's Basement Television, and Spike. Also: "Star Jones Is A Lawyer!" (Uh, her show will appeal to men... how?) Sadly, "We're Not Thrilled About Being Associated With Nancy Grace Either, But Ratings Are Ratings TV" was nixed for being too lengthy to fit on any of the eight million branded products the network sends out for publicity. Former network head Henry Schleiff must be kissing his framed copy of Steven Brill's picture and thanking the Lord that he headed over to Hallmark. more »

    4:39 PM ON TUE MAR 13 2007
    BY BALK
    603 views 5 comments

    Latest by Romana Klay: I like the trials and real life forensic stuff. Sounds like they're about to go under. Bad management! more »

    star jones

    Star Jones: She's Baaaaaaaaaack!

    A prophecy was foretold in Star Jones Reynolds' Christmas letter. Forsooth: "This is a time of brand new chapters and wonderful beginnings. It is my intention to return to my roots of straight, smart "user-friendly" projects that convey my commitment to family, the community, and the law by providing programming that both entertains and informs." And now, a mere four months later, the seeds bear fruit: Page Six hints, and B&C; confirms, that Star will host an hourlong daytime talk show on Court TV starting later this year. "My goal is to inform, empower, educate and entertain viewers. And Court TV is the perfect place to accomplish that mission." Informing and entertaining, and maybe even doing something about that scary cleavage-furrow! That's our Star: on message. more »

    5:48 PM ON WED MAR 7 2007
    BY EMILY
    2,719 views 25 comments

    Latest by the-cubicle-dweller: That scar is her blow hole closed up. more »

    money

    Court TV Knows How to Endear Itself to Journalists

    Cold, hard cash. That's what it takes to get to get to the blackened hearts of writers these days--at least, those at the New York Observer, who received the gift card pictured at right. As our grandmother used to say, don't spend it all in one place. more »

    11:10 PM ON THU DEC 28 2006
    BY DOREE
    48 views 1 comment

    advertising

    Voices in Your Head Tell You to Kill (And Watch Court TV)

    To push its new author-narrated crime show Murder by the Book, Court TV is installing narrow-band "audiobeam" sound projectors in bookstores that focus whispery monologues at individual customers. " "Hey you, over here. Don't turn around. Can you hear me? Do you ever think about murder, committing the ultimate crime?" intones the voice to you, and you alone, or anyone else who walks into the beam. Just in case you scream "Yes! Oh yes!" and attack your fellow book-browsers with joyful homicidal abandon, nearby posters warn that the "mystery whisperer" (gag) is all part of this innocuous effort at "experiential marketing" (double gag). Supposedly, the devices have been installed in Time Warner Center, so enjoy that on your lunch break for this rainy day. The technology involved comes mainly from military use, so it has no chance of accidentally boiling your brains out or anything. more »

    2:50 PM ON WED NOV 8 2006
    BY CHRIS MOHNEY
    863 views 1 comment

    Latest by Awesomist: These audio-beam things are actually pretty cool, from a technical standpoint. Ok, I'll shut up now. more »

    advertising

    Viral Advertising Leads to Actual Advertising

    We're more than happy to welcome today's banner ads for Court TV's reality show Parco P.I. After all, the show features a bald man, and you know how we like that look. But more to the point, we're compelled to wonder if our reluctant saturation coverage and dead-horse-beating parodies of the "Emily & Steven" billboards -- a viral ad campaign for Parco P.I. -- somehow led to this ad buy. If that's the case, we're not sure who gets congratulated and who feels ashamed, but we like wallowing in a little of both. Just the sort of pleasure-pain alloy we particularly enjoy. more »

    4:00 PM ON FRI AUG 11 2006
    BY CHRIS MOHNEY
    114 views 6 comments

    Latest by : more »

    advertising

    And, On That Note, We Officially Retire This Joke

    TV Week reports that Court TV executive VP Charlie Collier "is leaving the network amid another round of layoffs at the network, which was acquired by Time Warner in May for $735 million. About a dozen staffers were affected in his round of layoffs, including senior managers in the network's human resources and legal departments." more »

    9:10 PM ON THU JUL 27 2006
    BY BALK
    77 views 1 comment

    court tv

    Time Warner Starts Court TV Layoffs

    When Time Warner, which had long owned 50 percent of Court TV, acquired the other half last month, everyone was sure that layoffs would be coming soon. Today they finally arrived. Reports a Court TV source: more »

    9:05 PM ON TUE JUN 20 2006
    145 views 1 comment

    movies

    CourtTV Discovers New 'Da Vinci' Scandal

    The Da Vinci Code is causing all sorts of controversy -- over the portrayal of the Catholic Church, over how bad Opie's movie is -- but CourtTV has found a whole new controversy: Albino blackface (whiteface?)! On the CourtTV website, writer (and blogger) Susie Felber interviews Victor Varnado, the New Yorker who is, it seems, the country's leading albino actor, and he's pissed the bad-guy role of the albino monk went to -- be sure you're sitting down -- a non-albino. There's also some discussion of the fact that albinos are always bad guys in movies, which we probably ought to get into, and we were going to make a reference to the quasi-analogous Jonathan Pryce/Miss Saigon Equity contretemps. But instead we think we'll just go rent Foul Play. more »

    8:15 PM ON FRI MAY 19 2006
    158 views 4 comments

    Latest by Chatty: But what about Tony Cox getting shut out of Little Man? more »

    metro

    And Let's Not Even Get Started on Staten Island

    There are many reasons for homelessness. Many are sad, some tragic, and a few eminently understandable. A there-but-for-the-grace-of- God woman appeared in night court last night; unable to afford her apartment after she lost her job, she'd been arrested and charged with trespassing for sleeping on a Gramercy Park roof. more »

    6:04 PM ON THU APR 13 2006
    50 views

    paris hilton

    Law & Order: Paris

    We're not sure we've actually watched CourtTV in the decade since the O.J. trial -- has anyone? -- but we do know that you can find interesting tidbits from time to time on the CourtTV website. Today, for example, we're finding ourselves oddly entranced by the 12-page slide show they've produced, which lists all of Paris Hilton's manifold legal travails. Who knew the poor little rich girl had quite so many legal run-ins in her young life? more »

    5:06 PM ON THU JAN 26 2006
    79 views 1 comment

    Latest by Juvenal: the Sidekick hacker who's doing 11 months in juvie Soon to be a movie starring Frankie Muniz. more »

    diane dimond

    No More Michaels Jumping on the Bed

    If ever there were a sign that all the Michael Jackson mishegass might finally, completely be over, this is it: Court TV has fired Diane Dimond. more »

    3:20 PM ON MON AUG 29 2005
    274 views

    journalism

    Breakfast at Michael's, Abridged

    We don't much like panel discussions. No one says anything new, no one changes anyone's mind, and the food is rarely any good. But Court TV promised breakfast at Michael's and a crew of media bigshots who don't much like each other, and so it seemed worth showering earlier than we have in months and getting on the E train to midtown. more »

    7:14 PM ON TUE AUG 16 2005
    95 views