Media frenzy
over Jackson's death
Pop star's unexpected passing prompts primetime specials
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 26, 2009
Yesterday the broadcast networks were polishing up tributes to Farrah Fawcett when TMZ broke the shocking news: King of Pop Michael Jackson had died.
That sent all manner of media scrambling. They’d been prepared for the passage of Fawcett, who had been battling cancer for three years.
But Jackson’s death was unexpected, instantly becoming one of those “I remember where I was when I heard the news” moments.
ABC and NBC expanded their 9 p.m. Fawcett-focused shows by an hour to focus on Jackson, and ABC continued the coverage with 11:35 p.m.’s “Nightline.” CBS quickly pulled together some Jackson highlights for its own special, which ran at 10 p.m.
The cable news networks turned their focus to Jackson as well, starting with reports that the singer had been rushed to the hospital in late afternoon.
Once news of his death had been confirmed, MTV began a marathon of Jackson videos while BET aired videos as well as tributes to the man who still holds the record for most albums sold for “Thriller.”
Meanwhile, Jackson’s death set off an online frenzy. Google News received so many queries for “Michael Jackson” that it apparently misinterpreted it as an attack and began verifying users before showing them results.
At one point 15 percent of Twitter users were mentioning Jackson in their posts, and the site experienced a bit of a slowdown when his death was confirmed.
All three broadcast newscasts led with the news of Jackson’s death, starting their broadcasts a little bit earlier than 6:30 p.m.
The coverage will continue today, when autopsy results for Jackson are expected. Some cable networks have also made Jackson plans for the weekend: TV One will air "The Michael Jackson Story," while Bio will air a special on the singer tomorrow night.
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