Nbc - Magazine Says Nbc News Mad Unprecedented Deals For ExposÉ

NBC News went to "unprecedented lengths" to secure the help of Xavier Von Erck and his Perverted Justice organization in producing its "To Catch a Predator" series for Dateline NBC, according to Radar magazine. In an article by John Cook, a former Chicago Tribune TV reporter, it was disclosed that Von Erck received "in excess of $100,000 per episode for his services" and a cut of future DVD revenue. The network has aired at least 6 "Predator" episodes, in which adults posing as sexually active teenagers lure potential predators to a home rigged with TV cameras. They are then confronted by Dateline reporter Chris Hansen, upbraided, and delivered to waiting police officers. The Radar article observed that the deal with Perverted Justice was negotiated by NBC's entertainment lawyers, not the news division's. The "Predator" series has enraged even some Dateline producers, according to the magazine. One predicted to Radar that one of the targets of the show will eventually "go home and shoot himself in the head. The Perverted Justice people are insane, and they'll do something to embarrass us." Another NBC News staffer objected to the coordinated effort between NBC, Perverted Justice, and local police in staging the stings. "Somewhere down the line, some district attorney is going to ask us for outtakes or footage from a story, and we're going to say, 'We don't do that because we don't want to be an agent of the police.' [The usual response.] And he's going to say, 'You did with "Predator."'"

08/09/2006