TruTV (formerly Court TV) is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner.^[1] The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to TruTV in 2008. Its programming has traditionally been live homicide trial coverage and other criminal justice programming; however, the network has branched out into more "caught on video" reality programs, or as TruTV calls it, "actuality" television.

History[link]

As Court TV[link]

TruTV was originally known as Court TV and featured continuous live trial coverage, with analysis by anchors. The network came into its own during the Menendez brothers first trial and later the O.J. Simpson murder trial. It was led by law writer Steven Brill.

The network was born out of two competing projects to launch cable channels with live courtroom proceedings, the American Trial Network from Time Warner and American Lawyer Media and In Court from Cablevision and NBC. Both projects were present at the National Cable Television Association in June 1990.^[2] Rather than trying to establish two competing networks, the projects were combined in December 1990. Liberty Media would join the venture in 1991.

Court TV launched on July 1, 1991, originally only available to three million subscribers.^[3] Its original anchors were Fred Graham, who was still at the network twenty years later, and Cynthia McFadden, who later joined ABC News.

Brill left the network in 1997. In 1998, NBC sold its share of the network to Time Warner. That same year, it began running several original and acquired programs in prime time, such as Homicide: Life on the Street and Forensic Files.

In 2004, recognizing the growth of its primetime programming, Court TV split itself into two divisions. Daytime trial coverage was branded as Court TV News, and primetime and weekend programming was branded as Court TV: Seriously Entertaining.

Time Warner bought full control of Court TV in 2006 and began running it as part of Turner Broadcasting.^[4] The buyout of Court TV marks Time Warner's first instance of buying a TV network—rather than selling one—since the acquisition of TBS Networks in 1996.

Transition to TruTV[link]

As part of the rebranding, daytime trial coverage, which previously aired from 9:00AM ET to 5:00PM ET, was cut back to 9:00AM ET to 3:00PM ET and branded as "In Session." From 3:00PM ET to 5:30AM ET on weekdays and throughout the weekend, it runs original investigation-based programming and several new reality shows not related to law enforcement.

TruTV HD[link]

TruTV HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of TruTV, which is available nationally on DirecTV ^[5] and Dish Network and regionally on AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and RCN. In March 2011, the channel saw a surge of deals to carry its HD feed, due to its coverage of the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, (and subsequent tournaments) which was its first ever live sports programming. ^[6]

Programming[link]

[edit] In Session

In Session (the successor to Court TV News) provides live coverage of trials, legal news, and details of highly publicized crimes during their news programming hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET every weekday (except during national holidays). Their coverage takes viewers into the courtrooms and shares analysis from anchors and guests to help viewers understand legal proceedings.

In Session also runs a blog, Sidebar, where the In Session team posts updated legal news and analysis.

In Session moved to a new studio in Atlanta at the CNN Center on November 16, 2009. It will be part of, and produced by, TruTV's sister network, HLN. In Session anchors also appear on CNN to provide legal analysis about current crime stories and trials.

Anchors, correspondents and contributors[link]

Former on-air staff[link]

Reality/true crime shows[link]

• All Worked Up
• Bait Car
• Bear Swamp Recovery
• Big Brian The Fortune Seller
• Black Gold
• Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
• Cops (syndicated)
• Disorder in the Court
• Forensic Files
• Full Throttle Saloon
• Hardcore Pawn
• Hot Pursuit
• Inside American Jail
• It Only Hurts When I Laugh!
• Las Vegas Jailhouse
• Lizard Lick Towing
• Ma's Roadhouse
• Most Daring
• Most Shocking
• Ocean Force
• Operation Repo
• Over the Limit
• Party Heat
• Police POV
• Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel
• Southern Fried Stings
• South Beach Tow
• Speeders
• Storage Hunters
• Top 20 Most Shocking
• truTV Presents: World's Dumbest
• The Principal's Office
• World's Wildest Police Videos (syndicated)

Competition[link]

• Killer Karaoke (to air in early 2012)
• Wipeout (syndicated)

Sports coverage[link]