TV NOTEBOOK : Real-Life Chaos Plays Big on Small Screen

“Not guilty. . . . Not guilty. . . . Not guilty. . . .”

Nearly 14 months after the Rodney G. King beating by police became perhaps the most famous videotape in the world, the verdicts in the Simi Valley courtroom unfolded in stunning repetition on TV Wednesday.

Thus began a wrenching day of soul-searching and fear on TV--pleas for calm amid shots of anger and growing, frightening nighttime violence and fires; memories of the Watts riots; an emotional black church service near downtown Los Angeles; TV reporters and anchors treading dangerously near sensationalism while forced to cover the story, and sometimes stepping over the line.

As the destruction and flames in South Los Angeles and downtown filled the screen, the picture became a nightmare. Protesters also moved onto the freeways downtown.

The quiet unfolding of the verdicts, without a single conviction--and only one count undecided--sent shock waves through Los Angeles. And TV picked them up in a mixed display of competence and outrageousness that will be remembered for years by viewers.

There were the highly charged TV statements from public officials and principals in the case, even amid the calls from all sides to refrain from violence:

Councilman Michael Woo: “This is one of the saddest days in the history of the city.”

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas: “A crushing blow to the dignity of every citizen of Los Angeles.”

Mayor Tom Bradley: “This senseless jury verdict.”

King’s attorney, Steve Lerman: “It’s got to stop. It’s got to stop. . . . Get a plane ticket and get the heck out of Dodge (City).”

The overwhelming reaction reported by the stations condemned the jury decision, with few voices heard in support of the verdicts.

“The only thing missing from the ‘60s was (police) dogs,” an angry black man told KCBS Channel 2. “Not guilty on all counts. Get real.”

In a searing, dramatic moment, a black minister said the tragedy of the verdicts was not that it was unbelievable, but that it was believable to those who have lived the black experience. Like others, he noted that whitethere were no blacks on the jury.

A black police officer, meanwhile, told KABC Channel 7: “The whole reaction (on the force) was one of relief.”

But KNBC Channel 4 political reporter Linda Douglass said that there was “disappointment and anger and shock” at City Hall, adding that officials there expected at least some convictions.

Time and again, the fascinating question arose as to whether repeated showings of the King videotape had desensitized people to the incident.

While calling for calm, TV naturally went to the whip when, during the evening, violence broke out at the intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Los Angeles, resulting in looting, several beatings and a loss of control. Other violence and fires soon followed in a horrifying sight.

In TV terms, the shots were riveting, and helicopter crews showed them in detail.

KNBC gave prominent coverage to what was simply a thrilling gathering at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church near downtown, which was taking place--with a choir singing and prayers being rendered--even as the violence was occurring at Florence and Normandie.

At least one TV station dramatically played the music from the church while showing footage of the violence. While some may have found the juxtaposition hard to swallow, it captured much of the contrast of the day and the feelings that abounded.

There were other tense TV moments as well. When one of the accused officers, Stacey C. Koon, left the Simi Valley courthouse, he was besieged by an angry, shouting crowd that surged around him yelling “Guilty!” and “Racist!”

And there was also tension as a crowd gathered at the Parker Center police headquarters downtown.

Hopes that the constant TV exposure to angry voices would be a form of release gave way to fears that it would further fan the flames. And no one will forget the shots of disbelief in a barbershop in a black neighborhood as the verdicts were being read.

It was such an emotional day that even KCBS’ fair-minded anchor Tritia Toyota editorialized at one point that “one of the positive” outcomes of the King case was that Los Angeles now had a new police chief.

Despite the blanket coverage, it was rather startling to see a news-oriented station such as KTLA Channel 5--which first showed the King videotape--cut away from the story for entertainment programs such as “Magnum, P.I.”

And then there was the Fox TV reporter who approached the jurors as they left, saying: “Why are you covering your eyes? Why are you hiding your eyes in shame?”

In another shot, viewers saw a white woman in an angry exchange with two black women. “There’s no goddamn justice,” one of the black women yelled. “LAPD, keep doing your jobs,” shouted the white woman. “Protect our rights!”

And a Simi Valley woman told KABC: “They’re acting like Simi Valley is full of racist people, and I don’t think that’s true, and it’s not fair.”

On and on the drama raged, and nearby Hollywood couldn’t begin to match the real story as a city tried to come to grips with itself.