MediaBuyerPlanner: Following a public outcry against its decision to air an interview with O.J. Simpson in conjunction with publication of his book, “If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened,” News Corp. has cancelled both the Fox interview and the publication of the book itself.
Fox had planned a two-night sweeps stunt in which publisher Judith Regan would interview O.J. Simpson about his book, but following the decision of several Fox affiliates to not air the program, News Corp. leader Rupert Murdoch withdrew the project, saying it was ill-considered, writes Broadcasting & Cable.
“My first thought was that it was unprecedented,” Sara Nelson, editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, is quoted as saying in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I can’t think of the last time a book was pulled before publication for bad taste.”
According to insiders, Fox had failed to find any sponsors for the special.
Thousands of copies of the book, already stored in warehouses, will have to be destroyed, according to a News Corp. spokesman, who declined to say how many had been printed, writes the Los Angeles Times. Some books have already been sent to bookstores. They will be recalled and recycled.
Related stories:
- Fox Affiliates Refuse to Air O.J. Simpson Interview
- O.J. Ponders, on Fox, ‘If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened’
