TV’S MAD SCRAMBLE AT MURRAY TRIAL

Delivery of the involuntary-manslaughter verdict in the Conrad Murray trial was broadcast by virtually every television network, cable news channel, and Los Angeles station on Monday, most devoting at least an hour to discussions about it and others treating it as if they were calling the play-by-play after a winning play at the World Series. Deadline.com described the coverage as a “feeding frenzy.” The Washington Post called it a “circus” and particularly scored the coverage of HLN. “Headline News was there to do what it does best: hootin’ and hollerin’,” commented the Post‘s TV columnist Lisa de Moraes. Typical comment from HLN’s Vinnie Politan: “Making the transition from doctor to convicted killer! There goes Conrad Murray. … He was free all through this trial — he’s no longer free. There are the cuffs! Dr. Conrad Murray is the man who killed Michael Jackson!” Meanwhile, MSNBC said on Monday that it plans to air a documentary, Michael Jackson and the Doctor, featuring an exclusive interview with Murray on Friday. Murray did not take the stand in his own defense during the trial.