FOR THE COURT TV FAN WHO DOESN’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO SPARE: A SUMMARY SPINOFF

A stripper wanted to paint the American flag on her body as part of her act. Legal action ensued.

In an era when sex, celebrity and dysfunction dominate the syndicated “reality” shows, this was a natural for “Court TV: Inside America’s Courts,” right?

“Well, it was kind of funny and maybe provocative, but that’s not what this show is about,” says Andrew L. Regal, executive producer, whose daily, half-hour show debuted earlier this month in most of the nation.

“There’s stuff out there every day that we turn down that a huge audience might watch,” Regal says. “That’s not what we’re going to do. We’re going to find things that we think are interesting and important.”

That’s pretty much been Regal’s brief since he joined the Courtroom Television Network--better known as Court TV--a year before its launch in 1991. He was one of the few Court TV people with a TV production background.

In 1993, he spun off the weekly version of his show, a half-hour also known as “Court TV: Inside America’s Courts,” seen in 92% of the nation.

Regal is convinced that America is ready for more of a good thing.

“I don’t have any demographic information that the country is waiting breathlessly for this show,” he says. “But all you have to do is look at the front page of the New York Times --or the New York Post--and they’re covering the courts and the law. Those are the biggest stories, every day.”

The O.J. Simpson trial may have proved him right. Syndicated news shows and network evening newscast ratings erode during Simpson trial peaks; viewers are too busy watching the gavel-to-gavel coverage to change channels.

“The big thing for us is that we’re building a news operation here,” Regal says, sitting back in his office off the newsroom that still smells faintly of new paint. “Court TV traditionally has been a trial network. What I want to do is cover legal and justice news more comprehensively than anybody.”

The daily show offers a review of the day’s top courtroom news and trial footage along with breaking news, expert analysis and commentary by anchors Gregg Jarrett and Kristin Jeannette-Meyers--both of them lawyers.

“I’m the anti-lawyer around here,” Regal says. “I’ve been here five years now and I’m ready to get in there and argue a case.”

Regal says the daily show is ideal for people who want to keep up with the big legal stories but can’t invest the time to watch Court TV.

“If you can’t watch a trial unfold, this is still a way to find out what’s going on in the world, in the courtroom and beyond. And, hopefully, to get it in a way that’s a little more easily digestible--without sacrificing the journalism.

“Inside America’s Courts” wants to land on stations with strong news operations and in time slots that lead into or out of local newscasts, Regal says.

“That’s where the show’s going to have the most value,” he explains. “The closer we’re linked to strong news operations and news programming, the better off we’re going to be.”

Regal doubts that his show will be a ratings grabber from the get-go.

“We want them, but we don’t go in every day asking what trial is going to give us the best ratings,” he adds. “We hope that happens, but it’s going to happen based on how well we tell stories.

“We may even entertain people, but we’re also going to inform them. And that takes a little bit more work on the part of the viewer.”