NBC has settled a $105 million lawsuit brought by the sister of a man profiled in a Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator report.The woman claimed her brother's incriminating appearance drove him to kill himself. On the program, host Chris Hansen confronted Louis William Conradt, Jr., a Dallas prosecutor, accusing him of engaging in a sexually oriented online chat with an adult who posed as a 13-year-old boy.Per the AP, the lawsuit claimed NBC "steamrolled" police to arrest Conradt. Earlier this year, a judge scolded NBC, saying the network "crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement."Terms of the settlement were not announced. — J.R. WhalenRelated:• Judge Says To Catch a Predator Lawsuit Can Proceed • Has NBC Preyed on Its Last Predator?• 20/20 Investigation Preys on Dateline's Predator • NBC Sued for $105 Mil over Predator Suicide
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When the 2006-07 TV season started, there were only three hours of newsmagazines in prime time, the fewest since 1987. Well, the high casualty rate of scripted entertainment shows has changed that. Dateline NBC will be back up to three hours a week in January. ABC's Primetime is plugging the ratings crater left by The Nine on Wednesdays, until Lost returns. Look for a few episodes of 48 Hours to show up on Tuesdays at 10, now that 3 LBS has flatlined on CBS. Add 'em up, and in some weeks in January you'll have eight hours of newsmags to choose from. But producers say the shows can't give viewers the same old, same old anymore. A catchy hook is a must. Primetime has just kicked off a series of hidden-camera reports showing how people react in uncomfortable situations or when faced with ethical dilemmas. It's a
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Dateline NBC's investigative series "To Catch a Predator" has given new meaning to the term guilty pleasure. Several times over the past two years, the newsmagazine has set up hidden cameras in private homes to watch as Internet watchdog group Perverted Justice targets men looking to have sex with underage boys and girls. Responding to decoys in online chat rooms, men show up at the houses of their would-be victims with refreshments in hand, thinking they're about to satisfy their creepy urges. Instead, they're confronted by black-turtleneck-clad Dateline correspondent Chris Hansen, a camera crew and the realization that they've likely just ruined the rest of their lives. What makes "To Catch a Predator" compelling is how normal some of the suspects look and what respectable jobs they hold — teacher, rabbi, Homeland Security employee. Millions have watched the first three installments, so some of the men even know what they're in for the moment they're confronted b
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