TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) _ Divided by orange plastic fencing and crisscrossed with heavy black power cables, the grassy field in front of the prison where Timothy McVeigh waits to die has transformed into a media trailer town.

The U.S. Penitentiary entrance is lined with satellite trucks, and international journalists mix with writers and broadcasters from across the country, as residents slowly drive by to gawk at the spectacle.

In the background, behind razor-sharp barbed-wire fencing and red brick walls, the Oklahoma City bomber is preparing for his execution at 8 a.m. EDT Monday _ the first time a federal prisoner will be put to death since 1963.

"I think it's inevitable that there would be a media circus for this execution," said Robert Lifton, a psychology professor at City University of New York who has written about the death penalty.

"But the extreme media attention also feeds McVeigh's quest for martyrdom and for enormous attention and visibility so that, in his eyes, his execution can make a mark, and it probably will make a mark with a number of right-wing groups," he said.

For some, the regular live reports from the prison, the constant fight to learn what McVeigh is doing or thinking or eating, is simply giving the bomber a chance to take a final bow.

But Fox News producer Carlos Van Meek, whose organization has about 50 people in Terre Haute, called the execution "a legitimate news story that needs to be covered."

"This is not typical, but it is consistent with covering a big planned news event, like the O.J. Simpson trial," he said.

For prison officials trying to operate a 1,300-inmate, maximum-security facility, the spectacle of an estimated 1,400 journalists descending on the grounds serves as a potential distraction.

Jim Cross, the prison's executive assistant, said guards are trying to maintain the mundane rhythm of everyday prison life.

"It's been quiet," Cross said. "We like quiet."

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 06-10-01 1602MDT