What's up with Headline News' obsessive coverage of the Jody Arias murder trial?

[Comrade Grumpy]

They've been at it for weeks. Live coverage of the proceedings. In-depth analysis. Talking heads.

I don't get it. It seems like just another murder trial to me.

Is it the fact that she's a she?

And do I detect a subtle strain of misogynistic glee, with a subtext of the black widow woman, the killer seductress? Maybe not.

But I just don't get the wall-to-wall coverage.

[southernyankeebelle]

1. I have been following it sorta of. It's interesting. Its starts on truTV till about 2pm

then it switches over to Headlines news. This little sweet looking girl should get the death penalty. I mean she knifed him 29 times then cut his throat from ear to ear then topped it off she shot him in the head. My goodness that was overkill.

[Puzzledtraveller]

2. I wondered the same thing

I suppose it could be anything. Perhaps they are trying to up ratings by creating a buzz about someone most people never heard of before.

[sharp_stick]

3. Just like Casey Anthony

it's a pretty girl accused of murder. Nothing brings in the ratings like a pretty girl in trouble.

Not only that but this gives Headline Noise a chance to feature resident harpy weirdo Nancy Grace in all her screechy glory.

[bemildred]

4. It's not a new thing. nt

[Morning Dew]

5. It's TV on the cheap - HLN and Trutv are both part of the Time Warner family

so they don't have to spend money on more programming.

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. That kinda makes sense. Prurient pandering for profit.

[riqster]

7. Alliteration alert! Here are some more:

Primarily promulgating prudery.

[Brother Buzz]

8. It failed in my market. I havn't a clue who Jody Arias is...

and I guess that's just fine with me

[alp227]

9. Well, Arias had an affair with a Mormon man and broke religious rules. That's the interesting part.

Hell, this ABC News article explains:

Accused murderer Jodi Arias testified today that her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, had a "Bill Clinton view of sex" because Alexander was eager for oral and anal sex to get around Mormon church rules against premarital sex.

The Wikipedia article goes in even greater detail.

BTW, I remember watching CNN Headline News channel in the late '90s and listening to a local radio station simulcasting it for national/world news up til around 2005. That channel is now a dumber version of CNN. A real 24/7 rolling news channel would be BBC World News.