Extreme makeover coming for Court TV

ATLANTA, March 14 (UPI) -- Executives at Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System envision a striking new look and name for cable's narrowly defined and somewhat dated Court TV.

Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, says the 16-year-old cable channel is "defined" by a name that's "too limited." Koonin says the new name, which has yet to be picked, will portend the more wide-ranging fare that is in the works, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Wednesday.

Advertisers were given a preview in New York Tuesday but the new packaging won't hit the airwaves until Jan. 1

The goal will be to pull Court TV's demographics toward younger males. Among the shows in the works are one about female bounty girls, another about real police interrogations and a third featuring rescue missions. But the network will keep its core attractions such as Nancy Grace, though her face time will be cut in half.

The extreme makeover is a calculated gamble.

"The risk is always if you change things too dramatically you could drive away your core audience," said Derek Baine, a senior analyst with Kagan Research.