Casey Anthony was in court Monday with her attorney Jose Baez. Photo credit: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel
When it comes to Casey Anthony trial coverage, Scot Safon will be one of the most important figures determining what viewers see.
Safon is executive vice president of?HLN.?He oversees the channel?whose Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell have devoted many hours to the case of the Orlando mother accused of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter Caylee.
Safon also oversees “In Session,” which will provide pool coverage of the trial and airs on truTV.
“We oversee the cameras in the courtroom,” Safon said. “When there’s a major trial that has cameras in the courtroom it becomes a big initiative for us. In mid-May, two trials that we’re very focused on, Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray, will be happening simultaneously. We didn’t expect that.”
Viewers can expect expanded daily coverage from HLN when the?Anthony trial starts in May, although Safon wasn’t ready to share details. But he did say HLN will move between the Anthony case and the trial of?Murray,?who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in singer Michael Jackson’s death.
?I talked to Safon today.
How big a deal will the Anthony trial be for HLN?
“It’s a gigantic deal for us. It’s a case that has been very important to our audiences since the early developments in the case. Nancy Grace has done a ton of coverage. It really strikes a chord with people who watch us. We get active audience feedback. It’s true across the country. It’s not a regional-interest story.”
What about this case strikes a chord?
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It speaks to so many issues, to the responsibility parents have, to the responsibility grandparents have, to the vulnerability of children, to the fact that this could play out in the midst of what might seem a normal family. I think a lot of people find it relatable. They know people like the people in this story, grandparents like the Anthonys, women like Casey, children like Caylee.
“A lot of stories happen like this, but this one just seems to capture a lot of those fundamental things. It seems so extreme?on some levels, but some people go, ‘My sister is like that.’ Even if you’re not identifying with Casey Anthony, you know?somebody like that in your life.?Based on what we hear, the audience says it’s outraged, but there’s an undertone of identification with the anxieties that a story like this points out. You want your children to be safe. You want to know what kind of behaviors you want to blow the whistle on.”
When will expanded coverage start on HLN?
“It’s important to do dedicated coverage before the trial so people can get?up to speed. Nancy Grace’s show will be doing dedicated hours to that [goal]: Here’s how this trial is going to play out. We’re just setting the stage and reminding them of the story when they were last really following it.”
How many people will be here covering the Anthony trial?
“Not sure of that yet. It’s a little unusual for us, because of the ‘In Session’ production unit, which is part of what we do, we’ll have enough dedicated people down there because we’re pool for the camera in the courtroom. We have to have a certain number of people, and different ‘In Session’ and HLN people will be there at different times.
“But that’s dependent on getting closer to trial time, to see when opening arguments will be. When you’re a month or more out, there are a lot of undetermined things. The picture isn’t clear yet.”
How much could we see about Anthony in HLN prime time? Will it be on every show?
“I don’t think you’ll see it on every show every day. But I think on a given night, if there’s testimony that takes trial in new direction or gives a new insight, you’ll see it more than on just Nancy or Jane Velez-Mitchell’s show. Nancy’s show will focus very much on it. Because Conrad Murray is going on at the same time, Jane Velez-Mitchell will be spending a lot of time on that case.
“Dr. Drew Pinsky starts on April 4. I don’t expect he’ll do a lot, but there are days we’ll see something in trial and he’ll provide a perspective on human behavior.”
What about Joy Behar?
“Joy will probably talk about it. A through line on a lot of HLN shows is?looking at women, and obviously you’ve got a woman’s behavior under the microscope?as well as perspectives from that woman’s mom. You’re dealing with a lot of seminal?issues and behaviors and how people act in a situation and what they choose to share. It’s grist for a lot of discussion. The reason the trial is so interesting is the kind of stuff that would get picked up on in a lot in our shows.”
Could HLN go live with it during the day?
“There will be times when HLN will go live with some of the coverage. We could simulcast at any point that we think it makes sense. ‘In Session’ goes off at 3 p.m. ET. If there’s an opportunity, we have to make a decision: Is there testimony in the Anthony or Murray trial that we should go to? It depends on what’s going on in the trial. Our audience will be well steeped in what’s going in both trials every day. When we cut to live coverage — opening and closing remarks, certain expert witnesses — it depends on whom we’re hearing from. It’s very important to us, to our audience.”