1994 Murder on Jerry Springer Show
- Thread starter Carl Schwamberger
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Springer Shot
A lot depends on the circumstances. Is Springer the actual target or is he trying to protect the victim?
In either case the first effect of this is that NBC has one problem solved. Mr. Springer's death has saved them the effort of firing him and cancelling his show.
If Springer is the target there will be an active debate as to the motives behind the shooting of a popular TV star. It is likely you get a hard core group of followers of Springer who consider him in the same light many consider Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain. Don't laugh folks this is serious, consider how many people in our culture achieve even greater status after their deaths then they did in life?
If Springer is not the target but say tries to block the shooter and is shot himself then NBC praises the man for being a true good Samaritan to the last even as it cancels his show. Again Springer's hard-core fans elevate him to cultic status.
In addition, NBC and other networks become more nervous about possible violence against their surviving late night programming stars. Jay Leno and other late night hosts may find their audiences taken away by networks unwilling to risk something happening to some of their prime assets. Shows like Saturday Night Live no longer are taped before a live audience but in a studio, NBC is simply unwilling to risk its talent to any further "nut jobs."
In addition as indicated earlier the "reality show" genre dies with Springer. Shows like "Survivor" and other such shows in the genre never are allowed to be aired period. After so much litigation the networks won't take a chance that some crazy might be out in the audience with a gun. There is a focus on taped shows and no audiences allowed.
The rest of the effects I mentioned earlier still occur.
A lot depends on the circumstances. Is Springer the actual target or is he trying to protect the victim?
In either case the first effect of this is that NBC has one problem solved. Mr. Springer's death has saved them the effort of firing him and cancelling his show.
If Springer is the target there will be an active debate as to the motives behind the shooting of a popular TV star. It is likely you get a hard core group of followers of Springer who consider him in the same light many consider Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain. Don't laugh folks this is serious, consider how many people in our culture achieve even greater status after their deaths then they did in life?
If Springer is not the target but say tries to block the shooter and is shot himself then NBC praises the man for being a true good Samaritan to the last even as it cancels his show. Again Springer's hard-core fans elevate him to cultic status.
In addition, NBC and other networks become more nervous about possible violence against their surviving late night programming stars. Jay Leno and other late night hosts may find their audiences taken away by networks unwilling to risk something happening to some of their prime assets. Shows like Saturday Night Live no longer are taped before a live audience but in a studio, NBC is simply unwilling to risk its talent to any further "nut jobs."
In addition as indicated earlier the "reality show" genre dies with Springer. Shows like "Survivor" and other such shows in the genre never are allowed to be aired period. After so much litigation the networks won't take a chance that some crazy might be out in the audience with a gun. There is a focus on taped shows and no audiences allowed.
The rest of the effects I mentioned earlier still occur.
Last edited:
Due to the media's obsessive coverage of this tragic incident, all other news stories of the day are neglected. The public is barely aware that a once-popular sports hero turned actor has been arrested for murder. The trial of OJ Simpson is conducted in near-total obscurity. His conviction is barely mentioned on the news and none of the participants gain even fifteen minutes of fame.
Kick
First off I do know it's been a couple of years since this last reply on this thread.
Clarifying one issue in 1994 it was Multimedia Entertainment that was producing Springer's show and they we're the ones that were threatening Cancellation if the ratings for Springer's show didn't improve by November of that year all that NBC was doing at that time was providing studio space (In the NBC Tower in Chicago) for Springer to do his show and was airing the show on it's owned and operated Stations.
Discussing the topic in detail (And I read all the replies to this thread).
1. - The Shooting Incident.
The shooting if it was broadcast live would likely sue to it being Syndicated not be shown seen live in a number of Markets for various reasons (Timeslot issues for example) and expect the stations who were showing it live to cut off the feed very quickly if the broadcast is not stopped quick enough.
The only non stop coverage that would be seen by the viewers nationwide would be from CNN or the superstation feed of WGN that was carried on a number of Cable systems at that time while the viewers in Chicago would see non stop coverage on all of the city's major TV Stations with full blown news operations and Chicagoland Television.
For the shooter to be restrained by Studio Security would only be possible under the following circumstances if the shooter does not have a knife and knows how to use it and has planned it out.
1. - The shooter was in the process is reloading his firearm. (The same asshole who shot up his high school in Oregon in 1998 was successfully taken down by other students when he was reloading)
2. - The shooter completely runs out of Ammunition to fire.
Anything else I can think of there is a possibility for some members of Studio Security who were said to be off duty Police Officers (This would apply to Wilkos as well) to run out of the studio retrieve their Firearms if they bring them to the building but lock it up somewhere to prevent theft and run back into the studio with them and stop the shooting (By either forcing the shooter to surrender or be forced to shoot the asshole).
The only other way for the shooter to be taken alive is for the Police to storm the studio or for the asshole to just surrender (Requires the Hostage Negotiators to be successful) but this would likely occur several hours after the Police arrive and completely surround the studio blocking all means to escape.
If the shooter was ever taken alive the asshole would end up (After the through questioning by Homicide Detectives) face to face with Psychiatrists multiple times to see if he is even fit to stand trial and also since the defense lawyers will want to prepare an insanity defense as well.
If the shooter dies it's either by Suicide or by getting shot and killed in a shootout with the Police.
2. - The Aftermath of the Shooting.
The Control Room Staff and the Production Staff Supervisor will see themselves getting fired.
The stations that did show the shooting live would eventually receive F.C.C. fines and would end up fighting the matter in court for several years afterward (The affected stations could win the fight in the end).
Jerry Springer in the event he is not among the victims who are killed is not getting fired the day after the shooting (Such a knee jerk reaction would see Springer definitely sue for breach of contract) but will likely either decides to quit himself or if Multimedia decides to buy his contract out but this would happen a couple of months after when the shit starts to really die down.
The end of Springer's show would not be a Cancellation and will likely be labeled as a "Mutual decision" (After the show is completely pulled from multiple markets with no stations picking it up in the interim) and only happens when the shit dies down.
Lawsuits and Counter-suits would definitely ensue as a direct result and they would last several years (But they would likely end up being settled out of court).
Both sides of the Political spectrum would be furious and will fully debate this for sure and since the shooting occurs in Chicago with the restrictive gun laws they had in place in 1994 (Handguns were banned then among Chicago's extreme restrictions and Illinois didn't allow concealed carry then either) the Gun Rights groups would also use it as proof that Gun Control horrifically fails (A mass shooting in a Anti-Gun City being shown on live television would easily be a serious P.R. nightmare for the Gun Control groups).
If the shooter was taken alive due to the laws in place in Illinois at that time the court proceedings would not have been shown live on Television and the coverage of this case likely ends up getting overshadowed by the O.J. Simpson case (When that trial starts) but it could motivate others to pressure the state to eventually allow the cameras into the courtroom. (Only in 2012 OTL did the state of Illinois started allowing court proceedings to be shown on Television)
The defense lawyers would push for a Change of Venue due to the Pre-Trial Publicity (Will be denied for "Security Reasons") but the Jurors might be brought in from somewhere else in the state (Defense Lawyers and Prosecutors would likely push for that because of the publicity mentioned)
The shooter would not even have a chance of beating the case as there would be truly sufficient evidence for the prosecutor to prove to a jury the assholes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (The Firearm/Firearms, Video footage of the shooting, Surviving witnesses)
If the shooter is convicted or does plead guilty the asshole likely ends up one of the first inmates sent to Tamms Correctional Center (He will be segerated for "Security Reasons") and remains there until.
1. - In the event the Death Penalty is sought and the Jury unanimously decides in favor of Death either gets executed or the sentence is commuted to Life if the asshole's appeals are still pending come January 11, 2003 when all the Death Row inmates in the state had their sentences commuted to Life only being transferred to either Stateville, Menard or Pontiac Correctional Center prior to January 4, 2013 when Tamms is shuttered.
2. - In the event the Death Penalty is not sought he will only be transferred (To the other prisons I mentioned) when Tamms is shuttered.
Otherwise if the shooter is Acquitted for reason of insanity the asshole lives out the rest of his days in a State Mental Hospital (If the defense lawyers are even remotely lucky).
Jerry Springer's career will not be the same for sure (Will never do a Talk Show again).
A severe backlash against Sensationalism on Television will occur and expect Tabloid Talk Shows to be yanked (Kiss Maury's show and his career goodbye) and the Talk Shows that remain will permanently stay away from the Sensationalism.
Legislation will end up getting passed in Congress as a result (Increasing the F.C.C. Fines, Requiring a Tape Delay for Live Broadcasts on Over-the-air Television) but don't expect it until Early 1995 at the earliest and before then there will be hearings on the matter.
And don't expect the end of Studio Audiences regardless if Springer was shot or not since if there was ever going to be any level of concern for anyone's safety they will settle for requiring all of the audience members to go through Metal Detectors and X-Ray machines, Install Electronic Locks on every other entrance or exit and Security Cameras will be watching all of them, The staff members will be required to undergo background checks and not hesitating to fire anyone if any problem arises (Although the Investigation of the shooting will determine that the Sensationalism that was seen on Springer's show as one of the major factors making it a possible Isolated incident) and Armed Security will be employed if some asshole nutjob ever successfully breaches the security (Always a possibility).
There maybe more but I can save that for a reply to this or edit this.
Clarifying one issue in 1994 it was Multimedia Entertainment that was producing Springer's show and they we're the ones that were threatening Cancellation if the ratings for Springer's show didn't improve by November of that year all that NBC was doing at that time was providing studio space (In the NBC Tower in Chicago) for Springer to do his show and was airing the show on it's owned and operated Stations.
Discussing the topic in detail (And I read all the replies to this thread).
1. - The Shooting Incident.
The shooting if it was broadcast live would likely sue to it being Syndicated not be shown seen live in a number of Markets for various reasons (Timeslot issues for example) and expect the stations who were showing it live to cut off the feed very quickly if the broadcast is not stopped quick enough.
The only non stop coverage that would be seen by the viewers nationwide would be from CNN or the superstation feed of WGN that was carried on a number of Cable systems at that time while the viewers in Chicago would see non stop coverage on all of the city's major TV Stations with full blown news operations and Chicagoland Television.
For the shooter to be restrained by Studio Security would only be possible under the following circumstances if the shooter does not have a knife and knows how to use it and has planned it out.
1. - The shooter was in the process is reloading his firearm. (The same asshole who shot up his high school in Oregon in 1998 was successfully taken down by other students when he was reloading)
2. - The shooter completely runs out of Ammunition to fire.
Anything else I can think of there is a possibility for some members of Studio Security who were said to be off duty Police Officers (This would apply to Wilkos as well) to run out of the studio retrieve their Firearms if they bring them to the building but lock it up somewhere to prevent theft and run back into the studio with them and stop the shooting (By either forcing the shooter to surrender or be forced to shoot the asshole).
The only other way for the shooter to be taken alive is for the Police to storm the studio or for the asshole to just surrender (Requires the Hostage Negotiators to be successful) but this would likely occur several hours after the Police arrive and completely surround the studio blocking all means to escape.
If the shooter was ever taken alive the asshole would end up (After the through questioning by Homicide Detectives) face to face with Psychiatrists multiple times to see if he is even fit to stand trial and also since the defense lawyers will want to prepare an insanity defense as well.
If the shooter dies it's either by Suicide or by getting shot and killed in a shootout with the Police.
2. - The Aftermath of the Shooting.
The Control Room Staff and the Production Staff Supervisor will see themselves getting fired.
The stations that did show the shooting live would eventually receive F.C.C. fines and would end up fighting the matter in court for several years afterward (The affected stations could win the fight in the end).
Jerry Springer in the event he is not among the victims who are killed is not getting fired the day after the shooting (Such a knee jerk reaction would see Springer definitely sue for breach of contract) but will likely either decides to quit himself or if Multimedia decides to buy his contract out but this would happen a couple of months after when the shit starts to really die down.
The end of Springer's show would not be a Cancellation and will likely be labeled as a "Mutual decision" (After the show is completely pulled from multiple markets with no stations picking it up in the interim) and only happens when the shit dies down.
Lawsuits and Counter-suits would definitely ensue as a direct result and they would last several years (But they would likely end up being settled out of court).
Both sides of the Political spectrum would be furious and will fully debate this for sure and since the shooting occurs in Chicago with the restrictive gun laws they had in place in 1994 (Handguns were banned then among Chicago's extreme restrictions and Illinois didn't allow concealed carry then either) the Gun Rights groups would also use it as proof that Gun Control horrifically fails (A mass shooting in a Anti-Gun City being shown on live television would easily be a serious P.R. nightmare for the Gun Control groups).
If the shooter was taken alive due to the laws in place in Illinois at that time the court proceedings would not have been shown live on Television and the coverage of this case likely ends up getting overshadowed by the O.J. Simpson case (When that trial starts) but it could motivate others to pressure the state to eventually allow the cameras into the courtroom. (Only in 2012 OTL did the state of Illinois started allowing court proceedings to be shown on Television)
The defense lawyers would push for a Change of Venue due to the Pre-Trial Publicity (Will be denied for "Security Reasons") but the Jurors might be brought in from somewhere else in the state (Defense Lawyers and Prosecutors would likely push for that because of the publicity mentioned)
The shooter would not even have a chance of beating the case as there would be truly sufficient evidence for the prosecutor to prove to a jury the assholes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (The Firearm/Firearms, Video footage of the shooting, Surviving witnesses)
If the shooter is convicted or does plead guilty the asshole likely ends up one of the first inmates sent to Tamms Correctional Center (He will be segerated for "Security Reasons") and remains there until.
1. - In the event the Death Penalty is sought and the Jury unanimously decides in favor of Death either gets executed or the sentence is commuted to Life if the asshole's appeals are still pending come January 11, 2003 when all the Death Row inmates in the state had their sentences commuted to Life only being transferred to either Stateville, Menard or Pontiac Correctional Center prior to January 4, 2013 when Tamms is shuttered.
2. - In the event the Death Penalty is not sought he will only be transferred (To the other prisons I mentioned) when Tamms is shuttered.
Otherwise if the shooter is Acquitted for reason of insanity the asshole lives out the rest of his days in a State Mental Hospital (If the defense lawyers are even remotely lucky).
Jerry Springer's career will not be the same for sure (Will never do a Talk Show again).
A severe backlash against Sensationalism on Television will occur and expect Tabloid Talk Shows to be yanked (Kiss Maury's show and his career goodbye) and the Talk Shows that remain will permanently stay away from the Sensationalism.
Legislation will end up getting passed in Congress as a result (Increasing the F.C.C. Fines, Requiring a Tape Delay for Live Broadcasts on Over-the-air Television) but don't expect it until Early 1995 at the earliest and before then there will be hearings on the matter.
And don't expect the end of Studio Audiences regardless if Springer was shot or not since if there was ever going to be any level of concern for anyone's safety they will settle for requiring all of the audience members to go through Metal Detectors and X-Ray machines, Install Electronic Locks on every other entrance or exit and Security Cameras will be watching all of them, The staff members will be required to undergo background checks and not hesitating to fire anyone if any problem arises (Although the Investigation of the shooting will determine that the Sensationalism that was seen on Springer's show as one of the major factors making it a possible Isolated incident) and Armed Security will be employed if some asshole nutjob ever successfully breaches the security (Always a possibility).
There maybe more but I can save that for a reply to this or edit this.
How would this be applied to live streaming that starts to develop next decade? Would the FCC get involved in Twitch's business given this precedent?
There was something along these lines that did happen a couple years ago, there was a murder in Jacksonville over a Madden tournament. I could see something like that happening over a Video Game on Twitch. (Fights have broken out- off the top of my head once during a FIFA tourney and once during a Marvel tourney live on stream)
I do think a mandatory delay is likely, with exemptions for political reasons such as debates.
If incitement to violence is considered not part of free speech according to the Courts, I fully expect an attempt to use that against Fox News at some point.
There was something along these lines that did happen a couple years ago, there was a murder in Jacksonville over a Madden tournament. I could see something like that happening over a Video Game on Twitch. (Fights have broken out- off the top of my head once during a FIFA tourney and once during a Marvel tourney live on stream)
I do think a mandatory delay is likely, with exemptions for political reasons such as debates.
If incitement to violence is considered not part of free speech according to the Courts, I fully expect an attempt to use that against Fox News at some point.
I'm trying to imagine why there would be a shooting on the Jerry Springer Show, of all places. From the admittedly limited number of times that I've seen it, it was pretty apparent that the guests were either fabricating their stories, or at least highly exaggerating their emotions.
For example, a young couple go on, the woman tells the man she has some news for him, the guy gets all chirpy and says "Sure, honey, whatever, you know how much I love you", and then goes into a shocked psychosis when she tells him that she wants to break up. As if anyone could go on the Springer show with his girlfriend and NOT expect her to say something bad.
And another time, he had families who get engage in food fights at home when they get angry with each other. And at the end, he sets up a big smorgashboard and asks them all to sit down, to see if they can eat in peace for once. But OMG guess what!! They all start chucking the food at each other!!!
Like, I'm sure the producers used strict journalistic methodology to ensure that these people really did have food fights at home, and weren't just amateur comedians trying to get on TV.
For example, a young couple go on, the woman tells the man she has some news for him, the guy gets all chirpy and says "Sure, honey, whatever, you know how much I love you", and then goes into a shocked psychosis when she tells him that she wants to break up. As if anyone could go on the Springer show with his girlfriend and NOT expect her to say something bad.
And another time, he had families who get engage in food fights at home when they get angry with each other. And at the end, he sets up a big smorgashboard and asks them all to sit down, to see if they can eat in peace for once. But OMG guess what!! They all start chucking the food at each other!!!
Like, I'm sure the producers used strict journalistic methodology to ensure that these people really did have food fights at home, and weren't just amateur comedians trying to get on TV.
If you know that you necro'd a four year old thread then:
You know there was a warning.
You know that you made a decision to click through the warning.
You know that necro's are against Board Policy.
You know that folks report violations of Board Policy.
You know the Mods react to reported violations of Board Policy.
Therefor you KNOW that you were bound to be-
Kicked for a week.
Know you best not do this again.
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