Dear reader,

You are looking at one of the final editions of CourtTVnews.com. As part of the rebranding of the network to truTV, CourtTVnews.com will stop publishing Jan. 1. truTV.com will post information about the network's primetime shows. Video of trials will appear on CNN.com.

It's been my privilege to have been the editor of this site for the past nine years. Think of the day when you had the most fun at an amusement park. That's what it was like to oversee CourtTVnews.com (formerly known simply as CourtTV.com) all these years. My most frequent emotions were surprise and delight, closely followed by pride. We were the little engine that could. Other sites had larger staffs, more promotion and better equipment. But because of a staff that brought an unflagging dedication to their work, we consistently outperformed our larger rivals. No editor in any medium has worked with a finer, more energetic or more resourceful group of editors, reporters and designers.

There were some low moments. In 2004, when the Scott Peterson verdict came in, the site was so overwhelmed with traffic that most users could not get through. Then there were our ill-fated experiments with text messaging. While other sites were still wrestling with streaming video, something we had been doing since the late 1990s, we were flummoxed by the humble cellphone. We promised users that we would text message the verdicts in the Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson trials. In the instance of Scott Peterson, only a small fraction of those who signed up received the message. The Jackson verdict was even worse. Phones rang weeks later with the urgent news. You can't win them all.

Those stumbles stand out because they were rare. There were so many triumphs that it is impossible to list them all here. Our editorial policy was guided by two rules. First, there were no rules. CourtTVnews.com had the luxury of being unconstrained by any institutional weight. Blessedly, we were largely left to do as we pleased. But that freedom only went as far as the second rule: We would always strive for journalistic excellence. Every photograph, every caption, every headline, every story, every piece of video would be posted with care and intelligence. Hack work was impermissible.

No one was more surprised than I when it became clear that the outside world noticed our efforts. I never placed much stock in journalism awards. My opinion miraculously changed once the site began to win a few. In 2000, CourtTV.com was named Best Web Site by the New York Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and went on to win journalism awards from the National Press Club, Editor & Publisher and Newswomen's Club of New York. The design team won four gold Broadcast Designers' Association awards in 2005 for their online contributions. Finally, in 2006, the site won the Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association for "Best Television Web Site," beating out the likes of MSNBC.com and CNN.com.

Behind many of our journalism awards was the work of senior correspondent Harriet Ryan, whose elegant coverage of high-profile trials was considered definitive. Yet Harriet was a versatile enough reporter that she crafted a first-rate feature about an unsolved murder in Korea. This project, which also won its fair share of awards, crossed mediums from an online build-out to a television documentary to a book.

Throughout, CourtTVnews.com was the creation of the site's editors, reporters and designers. Because of their excellence, my role consisted of little more than stroking my chin thoughtfully and nodding my assent when an idea was presented. At least I was wise enough to get out of the way. My thanks to Erik Sorensen, Thayer Bigelow and Henry Schleiff for letting me take on this grueling task.

I am also thankful to Jon Bonne and Susan Houriet, the first two editors of CourtTV.com. Jon was endlessly patient in explaining that yes, "this Internet thing" would mean something one day. Susan created the basic elements of the site's editorial architecture.

A television network Web site is akin to a Starbucks in a Barnes & Noble. Customers may be glad it's there, but no one sees it as central to the store's mission. There are always those who believe the space could be better used for something else. So it was with CourtTVnews.com. Galen Jones was the site's indefatigable defender and champion. Even when it was manifestly not in his interest, Galen stood up for the site. Without his efforts, CourtTV.com never would have existed. Galen is not only brilliant, he is humane. He has my eternal admiration and gratitude.

We've all had the same experience. You land on some site and can't quite figure out what to do next. Should I click here? Or there? But wait. The headline for the story is here, but it looks like the photo for the story is over there. I'll click on the photo. The next thing you know, a pop-up is covering the page listing all of the site's photo galleries, except for the one you want. Stella Min is the reason such calamities did not befall our users. As the site's art director, Stella endured endless design meetings in which people who knew nothing about design, such as yours truly, made "suggestions." Stella would then craft a mock-up in record time, which then would be picked apart by the same group. In the end, and always with grace and good humor, Stella would create an elegant, functional design. Stella used to respond to my design suggestions with silence. Now, she offers a simple, "No."

Catherine Quayle was the heart, soul, and most of all, brains of the site. To the extent CourtTVnews.com was the creation of any one person, it was Catherine. Every aspect of the site bears her stamp, from the homepage list of headlines to the most popular stories box to the full coverage pages for each trial. She is an extraordinary editor, the sort that is rarely seen these days. She does not work with reporters, she nurtures them. Thoughtful and perceptive, she knows when to push and when to hold back. The result is reporters producing their best work. Catherine knew that a site is more than just words. She increased the use of photo galleries and sought to supplement stories with video. Catherine's most sustained contribution was not only her keen intelligence, but her dignity. She is an outstanding leader. Calm, self-assured, Catherine has mastered the art of knowing when to speak and when not. When she offers her thoughts, one listens. Her judgments are never casual. They are considered, informed and well-reasoned. But her humor and warmth are as well-timed as her insights. I have been a journalist for 26 years. No one has taught me more about editorial leadership. There is no one for whom I have greater affection or respect.

Now you know a little about some of the people behind CourtTVnews.com. In the end, though, the greatest debt we owe is to you, the reader. Ultimately, you kept the site alive. You were the reason we came to work every day. It's too bad you can't get together and give yourself a round of applause. You never disappointed us. You did surprise us from time to time. For instance, we never expected the photo gallery of the last words of condemned inmates would prove so popular. It was especially gratifying knowing that you did not engage the site casually. Data showed us how much time you spent on stories, and it was clear that you read to the last word. We also knew how much time you were spending on the site, and the numbers indicated that you appreciated the site's in-depth content. Although our audience grew several orders of magnitude over the years, the new audience was always additive to the old. We did not lose the earlier readers when the new ones arrived. I speak for everyone at CourtTVnews.com in thanking you for your loyalty, interest and commitment.

Now CourtTVnews.com will sit in cyberspace, frozen and unchanging. The fact that the site will not continue does not diminish its accomplishments. Perhaps some day, years from now, someone will do a search on some trial or another, and up will pop a page from CourtTVnews.com. "What is this?" they'll wonder. Then they'll start reading, and think, "Jeez, this is pretty good. Who did this?" We know who did it. That is reward enough.

Jim Lyons
Editor-in-Chief

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