How Keith Morrison and his fellow Dateline hosts became the "rock stars" of true crime

Los Angeles Times

"The newsmagazine has become a pop culture phenomenon, propelled by a growing public appetite for true-crime stories," says Stephen Battaglio. "The enduring success of Dateline — one of the most profitable network TV news shows — reflects the growing appeal of the true-crime genre despite big changes in viewing habits. Dateline currently airs 90 hours a week across NBC, several cable networks and on local TV stations across the country. Through the first six months of 2019, a whopping 106 million people have spent at least six minutes watching a Dateline episode. The show has benefited from true crime’s role as a dependable fixture for cable networks that have battled audience declines due to competition from streaming. Channels such as HLN and A&E have seen their ratings stabilize after adding more true-crime series. NBC Universal’s Oxygen remade itself as a true-crime network in 2017 and saw its ratings surge."