Today's News, Tomorrow's TV Show

▪ 1994

       Television's habit of exploiting real-life events was more pervasive—and more immediate—in 1993 than ever before. Dramatic, sensational news stories had always been fair game for the entertainment industry, but the transition from news item to movie or TV screen generally took several years. More recently the TV networks seemed to initiate the rush to acquire rights and begin production within minutes after the event had occurred. In fact, in the case of the siege of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, by U.S. federal agents, filming began while the story was still unfolding.

      The TV networks had whetted the audience's appetite with such reality-based fare as "America's Most Wanted," "Rescue 911," "Hard Copy," and "I Witness Video," and in the 1992-93 season they sought to satisfy all possible hunger for such entertainment. Of the 115 movies and miniseries the three major networks produced, nearly half were based on fact. Many were ratings successes; those networks' separate movies about Amy Fisher, who shot the wife of her lover, attracted an audience of about 100 million in December 1992-January 1993.

      Of course, it was inevitable that some participants in dramatic news stories—heroes and victims alike—would seek to benefit monetarily from their ordeals. It began to appear as if agents were being called before ambulances, and very large amounts of money were being negotiated. (Even the "Doonesbury" comic-strip character Duke got into the act, staging an avalanche in hopes of selling the rights to his dramatic "rescue.") Reality-based stories were still cost-effective, however. It was cheaper to re-create events than to find original ideas, and less promotion was needed because the stories had already been hyped by the headlines.

      As the '93-'94 season began, the trend appeared to be continuing. There was one sign, however, of some resistance. Early in the season one TV movie—"Based on an Untrue Story"—was a spoof.

      (BARBARA WHITNEY)

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