Some Real News

There may finally be some comforting news for Superior Court Judge Lance A. Ito, who has been infuriated by the tabloid-like news frenzy surrounding the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

As it turns out, sales of several of the best known supermarket tabloids have been seriously eroding.

Documents just filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by tabloid behemoth Enquirer/Star Group shows that the single copy circulation of its flagship National Enquirer had fallen at an annual rate of 6.3% since 1989, dropping from 3.8 million then to 2.7 million this year.

The company’s Star publication has dropped at a 5.7% annual rate, to 2.37 million from 3.2 million.

The company blamed the recent economic slowdown and an overall decline in circulation of such publications. It also blamed the increased competition for celebrity news, presumably from such tabloid television shows as “Hard Copy” and “Inside Edition.”

The company warned that if single copy sales continue to fall, and it is unable to increase the price of its publications or advertising revenue, the result may be a drop in profits and “a diminished ability” to pay its debt.

Even the company’s bizarre Weekly World News has been falling in sales, dropping at a 10% rate annually since 1989 to 526,166.

No word yet on whether the publication’s issue last week helped any. The headline: “Nostradamus Predicted O.J. Verdict; Prophet Knew the Stunning Answer 500 Years Ago.”

Floor Space

The Alhambra Globetrotters?

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters basketball team has made a fast break to the San Gabriel Valley city by leasing 6,585 square feet of space there for the organization’s offices.

Don’t get the idea that the team moved all the way from Harlem--previous headquarters were in Hollywood.

Can You Hum ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’?

Jurors in the Simpson murder case aren’t the only ones in a celebrity trial who have had to fill out a questionnaire about attitudes and familiarity with various facts and issues.

Jurors in a current federal trial involving a dispute over royalties and credit between cousins Mike Love and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys have been queried about their familiarity with such songs as “California Girls” and “Good Vibrations.”

Prospective jurors were also asked such non-musical questions as “Do you read the fine print on contracts?”

Briefly. . .

An ad in the Hollywood trades advertises the availability of a “lifestyle coach.” . . . Not that it matters with the season on ice, but Team Marketing Report reports that the average cost of a National Hockey League game is $33.66 this season. . . . Stop the legal insanity? Infomercial Marketing Report says that Susan Powter, the white-haired fitness guru seen on late-night infomercials, and her partners are suing each other in Texas in a battle over money and contract obligations.