How O.J. Simpson's murder trial changed the TV news business

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The actor and former football star's trial, where he was acquitted, was filled with stunning moments. It rocked the media landscape and became the first true crime mega hit.

The double-murder case against football star and actor O.J. Simpson, who died of cancer Thursday at age 76, forever transformed the TV landscape. Network news was still a buttoned-down institution in 1994, when more than 30 million viewers were tuning into the evening newscasts each night. The anchors of the time — Tom Brokaw on NBC, Peter Jennings on ABC and Dan Rather on CBS — were powerful arbiters of what the public needed to know.

'' The downside, as Whitaker saw it, was that the lines between serious newscasts and more tabloid-style outlets and entertainment-driven programs became blurred. 'It changed the media landscape,' he said. 'In the mind of the TV viewer, it put all of us in the same basket.' The old-guard news divisions had little choice but to cover the story as cable networks were giving it to viewers around the clock.

 

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