Also known as ''HCTV'' Theme music composer David Mansfield | Genre Infotainment Composer(s) Don Siegel | |
Created by Mark Monsky
John Parsons Peditto Presented by Alan Frio
(1989–1990)
Terry Murphy
(1989–1998)
Barry Nolan
(1990–1998)
Kyle Kraska
(1998–1999) | ||
Hard Copy is an American tabloid news television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. Hard Copy was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence.
Contents
The original hosts of Hard Copy were Alan Frio and Terry Murphy; Barry Nolan joined the series in 1990 and stayed until 1998, when he and Murphy departed. In the show's final season, current KFMB sports director Kyle Kraska took over as host.
Hard Copy was produced and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television and, for much of its time on air, was often aired with its sister show, the Hollywood news program Entertainment Tonight as part of an hour-long programming block sold to local stations.
1992 Elton John lawsuit
In 1992, Elton John threatened to take them to court, alleging a reporter tried to blackmail him into giving an interview by falsely claiming he had AIDS. They claimed Elton moved to Atlanta to be near an AIDS treatment centre. Elton in his lawsuit alleged extortion, slander, invasion of privacy and reckless endangerment.
The day after the lawsuit was filed, the show ran a segment about John but, rather than accuse him of having HIV, praising him for the work he was doing for those affected by the disease. John's attorney told The Enquirer he "assume(d) the show was changed as a result of our suit".
1996 celebrity boycott
In 1996, actor George Clooney began a public boycott of both Hard Copy and Paramount's celebrity news show Entertainment Tonight after Hard Copy violated a six-month agreement not to air segments about Clooney by airing footage of Clooney and then-girlfriend Celine Balitran on the set of his film Batman & Robin. Other celebrities supported the boycott including Whoopi Goldberg, Madonna, and Steven Spielberg. Paramount eventually agreed to modify the way that both shows gathered information for their stories. They also agreed not to air "unauthorized footage" of celebrities or "footage that is known to have been obtained illegally."
Hosts
International version
An Australian version of the series hosted by Gordon Elliott aired in the early 1990s.