Rupert Murdoch has pulled the plug on the controversial new O.J. Simpson book, If I Did It, in which he hypothetically describes how he killed his wife and Ron Goldman. Publisher Judith Regan has been taking a lot of heat for publishing the book which had been kept secret until recently. (she didn't even tell colleagues at HarperCollins about the book). Regan issued a bizarre
statement about why she bought the book -- she says she was trying to get him to confess to give everyone closure. Her interview with O.J. was scheduled to air on Fox in two parts this week.
Anyway, Rupert Murdoch cancelled the whole sordid business due to outrage from the Goldman family, advertisers and the Fox affliiates who refused to air the interview.
News Corp., the parent company of book publisher HarperCollins and the FOX network, has canceled publication of the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."
"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."
In the book, the one-time football superstar tells how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman if, in fact, he had done it.
A dozen FOX affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps month special, planned for next week before the book's publication.
One station manager who had said he wasn't airing the special said he was concerned that whether or not Simpson was guilty, he'd still be profiting from murders.
I have my own moral compass and this was easy," said Bill Lamb, general manager of WDRB in Louisville.
Relatives of the victims have lashed out at the now scuttled publication and broadcast plans.
"He destroyed my son and took from my family Ron's future and life. And for that I'll hate him always and find him despicable," Fred Goldman told ABC last week.
The industry trade publication Broadcasting & Cable editorialized against the show Monday, saying "FOX should cancel this evil sweeps stunt."
One of the nation's largest superstore chains, Borders Group Inc., said last week it would donate any profits on the book to charity.
We think the whole project is absolutely disgusting and that Murdoch did the right thing. Judith Regan went too far on this one. But who's going to take the financial hit on this? It all depends on what's in the publishing contract.
