ll the major network news anchors were in Cuba, preparing to cover the pope's unprecedented visit, when the White House sex scandal broke on Jan. 22.
The anchors immediately rushed to Washington, and TV news organizations haven't been able to take their eyes off the place since then. If 1997 was the year of Diana, 1998 was the year of Monica. Television was utterly consumed by the story of President Clinton's dalliance with former intern Monica Lewinsky.
So, for much of the year, were many viewers. Though poll after poll showed that many citizens said they were sick of the story, all-news cable networks such as CNN found that focusing on Monicagate sent ratings through the roof.
Viewers saw much more of Lewinsky than they heard, however. That infamous rope-line embrace between her and Clinton was replayed over and over, but Lewinsky's voice was not heard, except on tape recordings of her conversations with ex-friend Linda Tripp. She did not bare her soul on national television (though she is scheduled to undergo that time-honored rite next month with - who else? - Barbara Walters on ABC).
But if Lewinsky wasn't going on television to talk about the scandal, everyone else was.
The scandal minted a few new talking-head celebrities, such as Laura Ingraham of MSNBC. Internet gossip Matt Drudge parlayed the scandal into his own show on Fox News Channel. Former Clinton aides like Lanny Davis and Dick Morris were ubiquitous on interview shows like NBC's ''Meet the Press.'' Nighttime talk shows like CNN's ''Larry King Live'' or CNBC's ''Hardball With Chris Matthews'' sometimes appeared to have adopted a policy of ''all Monica, all the time.'' Logos for the ongoing coverage sprouted on every news channel: ''White House in Crisis'' on MSNBC, ''Investigating the President'' on CNN.
Whenever there was a major development, television was there with saturation coverage: Clinton's grudging acknowledgment on Aug. 17 of an ''inappropriate relationship'' with Lewinsky; the release of the Starr report on Sept. 11; Clinton's videotaped grand-jury testimony, which aired Sept. 21; Starr's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Nov. 19.
Sometimes, the unfolding events were less than telegenic, such as the unloading of the Starr report from vans on Capitol Hill. Sometimes, television offered a glimpse into the essence of the scandal, as when viewers of Clinton's grand-jury testimony saw both the president's charm and his evasive resort to tortured legalisms.
Over time, the explosive revelations lost their impact among many viewers because of their sheer repetition - even as the case built to the first impeachment of a president in 130 years. Like many another television drama, the Clinton scandal began to feel like a perpetual rerun.
