Massive media presence at OJ Simpson trial changed modern news coverage

LOS ANGELES -- O.J. Simpson's death Thursday not lone resurfaces memories of 1 of the astir celebrated trials of the 20th period but besides highlights the interaction the lawsuit had connected modern media coverage.

His proceedings lasted 9 months successful 1994 to 1995 and drew much than 2,500 journalists to the downtown Los Angeles courthouse. Entirely caller excavation sum facilities had to beryllium built successful the courthouse and the then-shuttered Hall of Justice gathering crossed the thoroughfare to grip the planetary coverage.

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"We virtually ran hundreds of miles of cables," said Scott Shulman who served arsenic the tv engineering advisor for the Radio and TV News Directors Association during the trial, liable for gathering and managing what was nicknamed Camp OJ. "From a journalistic standpoint, determination was thing similar it and I don't deliberation determination volition ever beryllium thing similar it again."

Shulman, who was astatine the proceedings each day, witnessed the circus-like ambiance that arose with countless millions of eyes peering into the courtroom connected a planetary scale. Even though helium believes the wall-to-wall sum of the proceedings was necessary, helium says it grew into thing astir attorneys and judges despise.

"I deliberation that's astir apt the lasting bequest of OJ, is that cipher wants to enactment successful thing similar this again," Shulman told our sister presumption ABC7 successful Los Angeles.

But putting the proceedings connected signifier for the satellite whitethorn person saved Los Angeles from the deadly mayhem it experienced conscionable 2 years agone before. The riots surrounding the Rodney King proceedings had near radical tensions astatine an easy ignitable level.

"Given the information that you had an African American suspect who's celebrated and 2 achromatic victims, you needed implicit transparency astatine the trial," said retired newsman Mark Coogan. "You had to amusement everything, each nanosecond of the trial. Otherwise conspiracy theories could emergence up. You had to amusement everything."

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And small went un-shown, adjacent from the clip of the chase. As the satellite watched, the achromatic Ford Bronco with Simpson successful it thrust northbound connected the 5 Freeway, past newsman Ric Romero and his lensman were close down it.

Romero was the archetypal newsman to find Simpson connected the freeway, aft looking for him astatine the Orange County cemetery wherever his ex-wife was buried. He believes the live, unscripted ordeal, was an aboriginal precursor to world TV and what is present a staple of section quality successful L.A.

"Television quality covers car chases present erstwhile they didn't bash that earlier ... OJ Simpson's dilatory velocity chase," helium said.