• by Wayne Friedman , July 12, 2007

Court TV has officially entered the Turner "T" family of networks--TNT, TBS, TCM--with a new name: truTV.

In an effort to spin its programming to a wider audience--beyond its court/judicial roots--the new Turner Broadcasting network has taken a new name to represent its array of reality TV, documentaries and other real-life programs.

The name change, which took its in-house marketing group a year to produce, will take effect in January. There will also be other alterations with programming and marketing. "It's not just a name change. We are changing all the elements," says Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. Koonin notes that the network's six-hour daytime court trial block of programming will also gets its own name--set to be released soon.

Koonin adds that the daytime court programming will no longer subscribe to Nielsen for ratings data. Direct-response advertisers, which make a large piece of the advertising base for that programming, don't use Nielsen data when determining the effectiveness of their TV spots.

The "truTV" name will be really pushed for the network's programming that runs from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. "The new name is narrow in scope, but broad in programming [opportunities]," says Koonin.

Part of the change at the network was in identifying what the network says is the psychographic group of "real engagers," viewers who seek real-life action programming and real-life emotion.

"There are really a huge group of people who will get access to places they can't go to," says Marc Juris, general manager of Court TV. "There is really an opportunity there."

For a long time, Court TV has been a tough sell to advertisers, due in part to the grisly nature of their real-life daytime court coverage. For years, the network has looked to separate--but not abandoned--itself from that coverage.

Because of its raw programming nature, Court TV has been amenable to new metrics for advertisers; it is one of the first networks to offer media deals based on so-called "engagement" data.

The network will launch a number of new shows in the coming year. "Bounty Girls" will feature four beautiful female professionals hunting fugitives in South Florida; "The Real Hustle," a series about three con artists; "Most Daring," a series on life-or-death rescues; "Neighbors 911," a program about feuding neighbors; "Ski Patrol," about the dangerous work of ski professionals; "Black Gold," a series about oil wildcatters; and "Outlaw Chasers," which follows tornado storm junkies.

Court TV was acquired by Time Warner and folded into its Turner division last year.