CourtTV/truTV

TruTV “In Session” anchor Vinnie Politan had an open mic moment Tuesday. While covering the high-profile Casey Anthony trial, his microphone stayed hot when the cameras were focusing on the action in the courtroom, and he was heard to say of Anthony “The only thing you are going to see are her boobs sticking out.”

The Daily Mail caught the mistake, and found video of the comment:

The Anthony trial has been taking up a large chunk of coverage on two Turner networks, TruTV and HLN. In the case of HLN, it has led to significant ratings increases.

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HLN has shaken up its weekend primetime.

For years, the network formerly known as Headline News, kept the weekend primetime consistent with weekday programs: Jane Velez-Mitchell at 7pmET, Nancy Grace at 8, and Joy Behar at 9.

But beginning with this past Saturday night, the network debuted HLN Mysteries. The crime block, which aired from 7pmET to 6amET Sunday morning, features crime documentaries including “Body of Evidence: From the case files of Dayle Hinman” and “The Investigators”. These are re-purposed programs from sister channel truTV.

MSNBC has proven over the past few years that crime programming works in weekend prime. In fact, MSNBC regularly wins Saturday and Sunday nights in younger viewers with the Lockup prison documentary series.

In 2006 Time Warner bought the 50% of CourtTV it didn’t own, then renamed the network truTV on Jan. 1, 2008. The network’s “InSession” live court programming was moved from New York to Atlanta in 2009 and co-located with HLN.

Tomorrow in New York City at the offices of Goldman McCormick PR, former employees of Court TV will gather for an unofficial reunion.

Time Warner acquired the network in 2006, and has since rebranded it as TruTV, replacing much of the legal news coverage with programs like ” Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura,” “Southern Fried Stings” and “Operation Repo.”

From the invite:

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Jean Casarez, truTV “In Session” correspondent, got a look inside the Peruvian jail cell that alleged murderer Joran van der Sloot will remain in during his trial. TVNewser spoke to Casarez about the report from Peru between live hits for CNN and HLN today.

She attributes the prison’s invitation to “old fashioned journalism and talking to sources” explaining that they had put in the request for a tour soon after arriving in the region. “One reason they wanted us to come in is that they focus on rehabilitation,” she told us. “They felt Castro Castro had been sensationalized by the world people and wanted everyone to know that its not what people think it is.”

The prison has become the latest hot topic for newsers on the van der Sloot beat. ABC News’ John Quinones also went inside Castro Castro for “Good Morning America.” (Video after the jump)

“It was extremely high security for us to get in: electronic fingerprints, pictures, passports, a full body scanner.” Casarez told us. She said she was given considerable access by the prison and toured van der Sloot’s cell while guards moved him to another building.

Casarez has been in Peru for two weeks, arriving shortly after van der Sloot arrived in Lima. “It’s really an amazing opportunity to be down here,” she told us. “People have been very forthcoming with information that we’ve been able to impart to the world.”

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After 18 years in New York, at 3pm today the lights went out at Court TV / In Session. So what now? “The crew plans to go out in style – at the bar across the street of course,” writes a tipster. “In Session” trial coverage will be produced by truTV’s sister network HLN in Atlanta beginning Monday.

With next Friday marking the final day of production of truTV’s “In Session” programming from New York, the network has announced new anchors who will debut from CNN headquarters in Atlanta the following Monday. Among the new hosts is a familiar name: Vinnie Politan. A long-time CourtTV and truTV host, Politan left the network in March, 2008.

The other “In Session” host is Ryan Smith who has appeared as a legal commentator on many networks. He specializes in entertainment law and hosted a show on BET called “My Two Cents.”

The new “In Session” will feature reports from Beth Karas, who has been with the network since 1994.

In Session has also named three contributors: Mike Brooks, who will be the network’s law enforcement analyst, Midwin Charles and Sunny Hostin.

truTV remains based in New York but the daytime production “In Session,” which airs from 9amET-3pmET is shifting from studios in New York to studios in Atlanta. The production team in Atlanta is part of HLN.

truTV, formerly known as CourtTV when it specialized in gavel-to-gavel trial coverage, is shutting down the New York offices for its daytime “In Session” programming. The move to Atlanta, first reported by TVNewser in June, will take place next week with the final day of “In Session” coverage from New York airing Friday, Nov. 13. On Monday, Nov. 16 “In Session” will originate from Atlanta’s CNN Center.

TVNewser hears there will be a wrap party for employees tonight near truTV’s headquarters on Manhattan’s east side.

The number of positions eliminated in New York is around 100, with up to 70 jobs created in Atlanta. Ten field staffers will be kept on for trial coverage including four reporter/lawyers and six producers.

Time Warner bought the 50% of CourtTV it didn’t own in 2006. The network was renamed truTV on Jan. 1, 2008.

Breaking: TVNewser has learned truTV’s ‘In Session’ daytime programming is shutting down its New York operations leaving as many as 65 staffers out of a job. Executives from Turner Broadcasting, which owns truTV, have been notifying employees of the change this afternoon. ‘In Session’ includes longtime anchors Jack Ford and Ashleigh Banfield, who, we’re told, are among the cuts.

The live daytime programming from truTV’s headquarters on Manhattan’s east side will cease in mid-November. At that point
Turner Broadcasting’s HLN in Atlanta will provide programming for truTV’s daytime hours. Primetime reality programming will continue. truTV was the 10th most watched cable network in Total Day last week, ahead of CNN and MSNBC. In primetime, truTV was ranked #19, also ahead of CNN and MSNBC.

“It’s really sad,” one longtime staffer tells TVNewser.

truTV began as CourtTV in 1991. It made its name with gavel-to-gavel coverage of trials across the country, most notably OJ Simpson’s double murder trial in 1994-95. Time Warner had a 25% stake in CourtTV when it launched. It bought full control in 2006 and re-branded the channel on Jan. 1, 2008.

> Update: Insiders tell us the number of positions eliminated in New York is around 100, with up to 70 jobs created in Atlanta.

> Update (2): We’re told 10 of the current field staffers will be kept on for trial coverage: four reporter/lawyers and six producers.

> More: Statement from Turner Broadcasting: Production of truTV’s IN SESSION trial coverage will shift from New York to HLN in Atlanta, effective Nov. 16, to leverage the unrivaled production capabilities and infrastructure of the CNN organization, which includes HLN. This move will result in some position elimination in New York and position growth in Atlanta, which we are currently addressing. There will be no interruption to IN SESSION’s programming schedule. We are also restructuring truTV’s marketing staff, which will include a reduction of some positions in New York.

• After the jump, the internal memo from truTV EVP Marc Juris and CNN Worldwide EVP Ken Jautz…

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truTV’s Ashleigh Banfield has some harsh words for a former boss in a profile in New Canaan – Darien Magazine. Banfield lives in Darien, CT with her husband and two children.

Banfield talks about her uneasy split several years ago with NBC News, after making a name for herself on MSNBC during and after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I begged for seventeen months to be let out of my contract. If they had no use for me, let’s just part ways amicably – no need for payouts, just a clean break. And Neal [Shapiro, NBC News president at the time] wouldn’t allow it. I don’t know what his rationale was – perhaps he thought I would take what I felt was a very strong brand, and others felt was a very strong brand, to another network and make a success of it. Maybe that’s why he chose to keep me in a warehouse. I will never forgive him for his cruelty and the manner in which he decided to dispose of me.”

Shapiro, who left NBC in 2005, responds: “I don’t recall events the same way Ashleigh does, but I am glad she has found personal and professional success and I wish her all the best.”

Banfield moved to CourtTV (now truTV) in 2005 and is the only non-lawyer anchoring on the network. Her on-air partner, former ABC and NBC anchor Jack Ford calls her “an absolute delight to work with” and says not being a lawyer works to her advantage. “She brings to the show the kind of curiosity a juror would bring,” he says.

“I know this is my lot,” Banfield says. “If I want to be successful in this business, I’m going to have to take it on the chin and cope with it. This business is not for the thin-skinned, and I don’t know that I have the thickest of skins.”

First On TVNewser: TVNewser has learned that Open Court anchor Lisa Bloom — whose show airs on truTV’s In Session daytime block — is leaving the network. No word yet on when her departure is effective.

TVNewser has reached out to truTV for comment.

> More: truTV has sent a statement to TVNewser, stating that Bloom “plans to move to Los Angeles to be closer to her family and to pursue a new chapter in her career, including book writing and reporting.” Her last day as Open Court anchor has not yet been determined.

The full statement, after the jump…

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