CNN, Washington Post explore impact of O.J. Simpson trial with Socolow

Michael Socolow, University of Maine professor of communication and journalism, spoke with CNN and The Washington Post about the wide-ranging impact of the O.J. Simpson trial on television programming in the U.S. According to Socolow, the surge in TV viewership from the trial persuaded Rupert Murdoch to launch Fox News, as well as a surge in reality TV programs. “Simpson proved enormous profits could be generated from high ratings from programming that did not require actors and writers and sets. Reality TV had started earlier, but after Simpson there was a massive profusion of ‘Reality TV,’” Socolow said.