Court TV The truth, nothing but

Court TV, which has increased its audience every quarter for the past two years, changes its name to TruTV on Tuesday.

The Court TV name ''no longer really aptly describes the kind of programming we do in prime time,'' said Marc Juris, executive vice president and general manager. ``We felt, as the media becomes more fractionalized, it's important to have a name that reflects the kind of content you're going to see on our air.''

Viewers will still get trials and legal news from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays in a block the newly named channel will call In Session.

But after 3 p.m., the programming switches to TruTV and what Juris described as ''actuality TV,'' meaning programs will feature situations that ``would happen whether or not the cameras were there.''

This month, TruTV introduces Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, O.C., like a real-life Baywatch that follows Southern California lifeguards (debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m.); Speeders, about the things people do and say to talk their way out of speeding tickets (Thursday at 8 p.m.); and The Real Hustle, which reveals ways con artists cheat unsuspecting people (Jan. 22 at 10 p.m.).

Future fare includes Black Gold, the true story of oil prospectors in Texas.

For the New York-based channel that signed on in 1991 as the Courtroom Television Network, the changeover began 18 months ago -- in part, Juris said, because viewers liked the nonfiction, non-courtroom shows such as Forensic Files and Suburban Secrets.

''The last three letters of court, if you look at it backwards, are t-r-u,'' Juris said. ``So we felt it spoke to our providence as Court TV.''