Casey Anthony: WFTV expands trial coverage, drops Oprah Winfrey
Casey Anthony listens to Mallory Parker's testimony today. Photo credit: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel
WFTV-Channel 9 saw that competitors were scoring big ratings with extensive daytime coverage of the Casey Anthony trial.
So WFTV and sister station WRDQ-Channel 27 will split covering the trial for its duration.
“We have to be in the game,” WFTV news director Bob Jordan said Friday. “We’re not going to sit here and let them take this.”
Viewers can watch the Anthony murder trial from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays on WRDQ. At 4 p.m., WFTV takes over and drops reruns of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Jordan stresses that Oprah fans can catch the reruns at 9 weeknights on WRDQ.
“We’re here to serve an audience. The market has more interest in Casey on trial than in repeats of a show that has been canceled,” Jordan said. Winfrey’s show ended its 25-year run Wednesday.
On Saturdays, WFTV will offer trial coverage during morning news, then WRDQ takes over at 9 a.m. until court adjourns.
“Our thinking is there is great interest in this,” Jordan said. “There’s probably greater interest in sustained coverage than we anticipated, and we’re responding accordingly.”
Jordan cited the high ratings scored by Central Florida News 13 and Fox-owned WOFL-Channel 35 for prompting WFTV’s change in covering the Anthony trial. News 13 is available to customers of Bright House Networks.
WKMG-Channel 6 offers the full trial on digital channel 6.2, which is 463 on Bright House Networks and 220 on Comcast. WKMG will break into its regular lineup for crucial moments, such as opening statements and George Anthony’s testimony, said WKMG news director Steve Hyvonen. The station also assesses on a daily basis whether to offer specials at 5 p.m. and preempt “Dr. Phil.”