Talking With … Scot Safon: Casey Anthony trial is 'gigantic' - OS

Talking With … Scot Safon: Casey Anthony trial is 'gigantic'
11:11 p.m. EDT, April 3, 2011

Excerpt:

When it comes to TV coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, Scot Safon will be one of the most important figures determining what viewers see. He is executive vice president of HLN and oversees truTV's "In Session," which will provide pool coverage of the trial.

CFB: How big a deal is the Anthony trial for HLN?

It's a gigantic deal for us. It's a case that has been very important to our audiences since the early developments in the case. Nancy Grace has done a ton of coverage. It really strikes a chord with people who watch us. We get active audience feedback. It's true across the country. It's not a regional-interest story. It's about justice.

CFB: What about this case strikes a chord?

It speaks to so many issues, to the responsibility parents have, to the responsibility grandparents have, to the vulnerability of children, to the fact that this could play out in the midst of what might seem a normal family. I think a lot of people find it relatable. They know people like the people in this story, grandparents like the Anthonys, women like Casey, children like Caylee. A lot of stories happen like this, but this one just seems to capture a lot of those fundamental things. It seems so extreme on some levels, but some people go, 'My sister is like that.' Even if you're not identifying with Casey Anthony, you know somebody like that in your life. Based on what we hear, the audience says it's outraged, but there's an undertone of identification with the anxieties that a story like this points out.

READ MORE: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-talking-with-safon-0404-20110403,0,1887788.story