Did anything noteworthy happen at today's CNN Headline News staff meeting? Send a message via the tip box...

For the reporters in Redwood City, today is a day of mixed emotions.

"We all can do our job and be 'un-attached' for purposes of reporting -- but we all have empathy," Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren said in a brief interview with TVNewser today. "I think this is true of all my colleagues in the media. We all talk during breaks and we all wish that things were different for the families."

Greta spent months in and out of the courthouse, and stood along the shoreline where Laci's body was found. She said it's very difficult to watch the many people suffering in the case. "When I practiced law I always felt the same way...it is terrible to deal with others' pain," she said.

The evening newscasts were careful not to overplay the Peterson verdict. CBS aired a package at 6:38. NBC did the same at 6:39. ABC put it off until 6:43pm. "We often wonder what sort of a trial it might have been without cable television," Peter Jennings said, calling the case "long and sensational." ("Jennings hates this story," one former ABC staffer said to me earlier today.)

The NBC Nightly News led with Bernie Kerik's downfall. ABC's World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News led with the one year anniversary of Saddam's capture, and a day of deadly attacks in Iraq.

"The major television networks have more people in Redwood City than they do in Iraq," Brian Rooney asserted on World News Tonight Saturday. "A phalanx of cameras is set to catch the comings and goings of lawyers, jurors and the professional 'commentariat' of courtroom coverage."

So did it deserve all the attention? "This story didn't impact anyone other than the immediate families," Bob e-mailed in. "These essentially local domestic violence stories are like 'crack' for cable news," referring to the late great Jerry Nachman's comments about the Peterson trial, when he said the case was like "crack for us in the business...we can't stop ourselves."

As the ABC story noted, when the trial press leaves Redwood City, "they won't have far to move the village. The Michael Jackson trial is set to start next month just 200 miles south."

> 5:57pm: The press conference moderator, introducing three jurors to the media: "These are 100 of your newest, closest friends."

> CNN cut away from the courtroom audio to air audio of cheering outside.

> Bob Woodruff anchored ABC's special report, with reporting by Jim Avila and Cynthia McFadden.

> Rehema Ellis anchored a special report on NBC, and Dan offered commentary. On MSNBC, Lester Holt took over for Dan Abrams at 4:30.

> KCRA-TV in Sacramento is posting on-screen the text messsages from its reporter inside the courtroom.

> A sign of Neil Cavuto's clout?: The first half of 'Your World' focused on business news.

> CNN pre-empted Inside Politics; Wolf Blitzer began anchoring at 4pm.

> CNN's Ted Rowlands will be sending updates from the courtroom via Blackberry. FNC and MS will likely employ the same technique...

> Best quote: From Shep Smith, to Lis Wiehl: "Lis, you love the death penalty, right?"

> Responding to several e-mailers, Shep Smith offered a staunch defense of FNC's coverage of the proceedings. "Get your own television network and program it how you'd like. This place is all Scott for the next 30 minutes!," he said.

> Deborah Norville is pre-empted again tonight; Dan Abrams will anchor from 9 to 10pm.

At a 3:30 p.m. meeting today, CNNers "will be told about a major restructuring at Headline News," FTVLive reports (subreq). Could an insider send over the teleconference meeting ID #?...

> Sept 24: "Headline News Prepares 'Blue Sky'"

> MSNBC's Holiday Party was held on Saturday night...Anyone want to share some highlights?

> Professor and CBS legal pundit Jonathan Turley suffered from ID theft last week. "Police told Turley they think a former CBS News employee may have swiped his vital info from the security badge he uses as a legal analyst for the network," he told the Post...

> Rick Ellis analyzes Pat Buchanan's "weird, oddly anti-Semitic complaint about the Jews in Hollywood."

> mediabistro.com looks back at the 2004 year in media, including "the rise of newsertainment," "the collective forensic investigation" and "Burger King media..."

> Bill Hemmer is reporting from Tokyo on CNN's American Morning this week.

> "ITN has signed a deal with Fox News, which creates the biggest news-stock footage service in the US and makes historical Fox News footage available worldwide for the first time," MediaBulletin says.

> NBC's Brian Williams will emcee at tonight's Leadership in Tourism Award Dinner at MoMa. It will benefit the NYC & Company Foundation...

CJR Daily introduces a new feature: "Most Pointless Question of the Day/Week." The first winner: Wolf Blitzer, for his Late Edition question: "Do U.S. troops in Iraq have adequate resources?" Or as CJR puts it: "You there, sitting contentedly on your plush Pottery Barn sofa, in your expert opinion, are our soldiers properly equipped? Wolf Blitzer wants to know."

By now I'm sure you've heard about the Pale Male controversy. Building resident Paula Zahn must not be pleased about how her name has been attached to the story. 300 protesters gathered outside the building on Sunday. "Until the situation is resolved, the protesters will stay on, chanting, 'Fire Paula Zahn' and 'Boycott CNN,'" the NY Post says...

"CBS executives, eager to put 'Memogate' behind them, had hoped an independent panel looking into the scandal would issue a report this month. Now it appears the panel might wait until January," Peter Johnson reports in USA Today. "CBS News staffers were still being interviewed last week by lawyers for the panel. Coupled with the approaching holidays, the report's release before New Year's has become increasingly unlikely."

On 60 Minutes last night, Andy Rooney contemplated replacing Dan Rather on the evening news. "Good evening. I'm Andy Rooney," he mocked -- "and don't you forget it. Tonight, news about the end of the world, but first, several commercials for some of the disgusting things that are probably wrong with you. You may want the children to leave the room." A funny must-read...

Howie Kurtz previews next weekend's C-SPAN interview with FNC chairman Roger Ailes in the Post today. Highlights: "Ailes rips the overseas network CNN International, 'or, as we call it, the anti-American channel.'" And on the subject of CBS: "We're not retracting stories. We don't have a former attorney general looking into us to try to determine how we screwed it up." More...

Did anyone notice this tidbit in the NY Daily News over the weekend? Three years ago, Bernie Kerik "allegedly sent five top homicide cops to the homes of some Fox News staffers - one as far away as New Jersey - when talk-show host Judith Regan suspected them of stealing her cell phone. Regan is the publisher of Kerik's memoir 'The Lost Son.' The outraged Fox folk threatened a suit against the city and Kerik, but later gave up the idea. Kerik swore he never gave his gumshoes that particular go-ahead."