Shortly after 12:3opmET this afternoon, Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the 2009 death of Michael Jackson.

HLN, which has seen ratings success with its Murray trial coverage, was the first cable network to go to the sentencing, at 12:14pmET.

Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC all went to the trial just before the sentence was read, at 12:30pmET, and stayed with it until just before 1pmET. CNN International also simulcast CNN coverage of the sentencing.

A new twist in the controversial Dr. Conrad Murray documentary set to air tonight on MSNBC. While Michael Jackson‘s family is fuming, some of Dr. Murray’s creditors are suing.

A company called Digirad Imaging Solutions has named Murray, as well as MSNBC, NBCU and several other media companies in a lawsuit seeking $147,000 it says it is owed by Murray. The OCWeekly has the complaint which says the media companies are being used as “mere subterfuges employed by defendant Conrad Robert Murray to escape liability for his debts and obligations.”

THR’s Marisa Guthrie reports MSNBC paid a “six-figure fee” — $300,000 reports RadarOnline — to air the doc, which was produced by October Films and distributed by Zodiak Media Group. All are named in the Digirad suit. For its part, NBC got a pre-trial interview with Dr. Murray, which has aired over the past two days on the “Today” show.

Meanwhile, NBC News has more Jackson stories planned for next week. NBC News correspondent Jeff Rossen, who covered the Murray trial, teased an “exclusive tour” inside the Holmby Hills home where Jackson spent his final days. Rossen was among a group of reporters who got a tour of home — now up for auction — last Monday, the same day Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death. The reporters’ tour was arranged by the auction company.

Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship, premieres tonight on MSNBC at 10pmET and re-airs at 11pm. The documentary is being sold around the world and aired last night on Channel 4 in Britain with the title The Man Who Killed Michael Jackson.

(h/t FishbowlLA)

Despite objections from the estate of Michael Jackson, MSNBC will go ahead with plans to air a documentary about the pop star’s relationship with Dr. Conrad Murray this weekend, according to an MSNBC spokesperson.

“Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship” was purchased from a British production company, October Films. It will air on MSNBC, paired with Savannah Guthrie‘s exclusive interview with Murray, on Friday at 10pmET and Sunday at 9pmET.

In a letter sent to MSNBC President Phil Griffin yesterday, executors for Jackson’s estate called the documentary “reprehensible.”

“No sooner was Conrad Murray ordered led away in handcuffs after his conviction on manslaughter charges in the death of Michael Jackson than we discovered your MSNBC network inexplicably will showcase him in primetime on Friday night as if he is worthy of celebrity,” the letter reads.

Think HLN will be forgoing political coverage in 2012? Think again.

“We are definitely focused on that story, because that is going to be driving the news water cooler in this country in 2012,” HLN executive VP Scot Safon tells TVNewser.

HLN is planning to cover the 2012 elections from a decidedly different angle than the other cable news outlets however. The channel is planning to focus on the people behind the politics, by telling viewers more about the politicians themselves, as well as their families and staff.

Safon points to the recent interview Herman Cain gave to Robin Meade, as well as the follow-up stories from the channel, as what they were looking to accomplish:

As an example, Safon mentioned HLN’s 9 PM host Dr. Drew Pinsky, and how he might approach coverage of politicians:

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Boosted by the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, HLN was up in total viewers this month, posting gains of +24% in total day and +8% in primetime year-over-year. However, ratings slipped in the A25-54 demographic, down-2% in total day and -5% in primetime.

The ratings for October, 2011:

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 407K Total Viewers / 114K A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 304K Total Viewers / 105K A25-54

HLN’s dayside programming performed well this month –  from 12pmET – 4pmET, each program saw year-over-year gains in both total viewers and the demographic.

The early hours of primetime also performed well for HLN — “Special Report,” at 5pmET, posted year-over-year gains of +191% in total viewers and 97% in the demographic, while “Prime News,” at 6pmET, posted gains of +132% in total viewers and +83% in the demographic. “Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell” also posted gains, growing +23% in total viewers and +4% in the demo.

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For CNN weekend anchor Don Lemon, who has been the network’s lead reporter on Michael Jackson since his death in 2009, the ongoing trial of Conrad Murray has dredged up some old challenges.

“Here’s the interesting thing: it’s been hard and easy at the same time,” Lemon, who spent last week in Los Angeles reporting on the first week of the trial, told TVNewser recently. “It’s been hard in the sense that the hours are ridiculous. You don’t get much sleep. But, for me, it has also been a natural fit. I know the story like the back of my hand. I grew up listening to the Jackson 5. I knew about Michael Jackson, and his challenges, and about all of it.”

Lemon said his personal interest in Jackson — who he called an “accidental thought leader” of this generation — elevated his reporting capabilities. Read more

The manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson‘s doctor, Conrad Murray, began this week and CNN’s Don Lemon is one of hundreds of journalists covering it from the courthouse in Los Angeles. TVNewser talked with Lemon this morning. He shared his thoughts on the media frenzy surrounding the trial:

I’m not a news executive, but I think the people making decisions may equate trial coverage to Casey Anthony ratings, and I don’t think that is necessarily so. It depends on the circumstances around all of it. I think the Casey Anthony trial caught a lot of news organizations off guard. Just because something is sensational or has great ratings we shouldn’t devote our entire resources to it, and I think CNN realizes that. With us, we can have [sister network] HLN go all out and do trial coverage all the time, while on CNN we’re covering the death of Anwar al-Awlaki, and we still have balance. So that’s a plus for us. I think with the idea that every trial, every big name, every scandal results in ratings, you risk a burnout from the audience if it’s overdone.

We’ll have more of TVNewser’s interview with Don Lemon on Monday.

In June and July, HLN saw record ratings as it covered the Casey Anthony trial. HLN’s strategy was to have essentially every show cover it, from its dayside programming to Nancy Grace to Dr. Drew Pinsky and Joy Behar.

Now the cable channel is looking to repeat that success with across-the-board coverage of the Dr. Conrad Murray trial. Murray is the man accused of causing the death of Michael Jackson.

Every one of HLN’s signature shows will feature Murray trial-related programming starting next Tuesday, September 27. HLN will also debut a two-part documentary “The Death of Michael Jackson: Dr. Conrad Murray on Trial” on Saturday September 24, hosted by Grace and featuring her HLN colleagues.

The move is part of a plan by HLN to “own” coverage of events and trials that are in its wheelhouse. By having every program cover the event at least in part, it ensures some flow between programming. In the case of Casey Anthony, it broke ratings records for the network.

More information, including full coverage plans, after the jump.

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Tonight, ABC News’ “Primetime: Crime” reports the latest on the investigation surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, and how his passing has shined a light on celebrities’ drug use and the doctors who enable them.

The hour will examine Jackson’s physician Dr. Conrad Murray and searches of his home and offices have revealed. Chris Connelly, Jim Avila and Mary Fulginiti will contribute to the program tonight at 10pmET/PT.